The Opposite of Amnesia
by The Terracrafter
Summary: I was once told by a powerful man that above all else an emperor should value the trust between him and the ruled...That didn't stop him casting me off into the darkness at the first lie from someone who was eventually going to stab them in the back. I was once a healer, sworn by an oath to protect the people of Shurima, but now I am a monster, I am an outcast, I...am Inumbris.
1. Chapter 1: The Healer

The sun beamed in the sky, its golden light stretching across the horizon as it slightly kissed its edge. The coral colored heavens encompassed over me and the city I sat above.  
During this time of the year the days were long and scorching but all of it fell aside when the sun began its closing ceremony.  
Both my shoulders and back ached from the day of being hunched over and constantly using precision care on my patients.  
Despite my younger age my energy reserves were completely drained after this daily routine. I let the final rays warm me, closing my eyes to enjoy it I then see what looked like a million fire flies all moving with a purposeful intent, each one with a soft heartbeat that thumped inside of my head.  
I would be lying if I said this didn't rival the sun's own light. I opened my eyes and looked back to the sky. There are always those moments in your life where it feels as if time was frozen and it'll seem that it will never end as you take in every detail. But of course, that isn't reality.

"Custos Rexas!"A voice called from below, tearing me away from my thoughts.

"Custos Rexas someone's been injured, we need you."The same voice called out.

Immediately, I threw myself down from the roof before landing besides the two men carrying the wounded figure.  
Looking at the group, I quickly walk towards the entrance of my infirmary, I heard them both follow me, the sand crunching underneath their footsteps.  
Inside was a warmly lit room, the main source of light coming from the hearth at the opposite end, as well as some touches I had set up previously.  
Located nearest to me was an elevated stone slab was positioned adjacent to the cabinet where I had stored all of my medicinal supplies.  
On the counter itself were basic medical materials from minor injuries to stab wounds. Gesturing for the two men to lay the patient down on the slab, I rolled up my sleeves and began my examination.  
The first thing I noticed that the wounded in question was a woman, her skin was of a darker tone much like the majority of those who lived here.  
Her hair reached below her shoulders but was tied into a tail, her arms legs and face were covered in cuts and bruises yet her expression was relaxed, almost peaceful.  
I pressed two fingers against her throat, feeling for a pulse.

To my surprise her heart was steadily beating at an almost normal rate, if a bit slow.  
The clothes she wore told me she was wasn't of the general populace that much was easily known.  
The guards who brought her in were probably aware of that as well. Looking to her abdominal section I notice that her clothes were stained scarlet and that there was a hole in the middle of all of it.  
I immediately begin to tear the shirt of the woman to see if my guess was correct. Her stomach was covered in semi-dried blood and in the center was the wound, looking nothing more than a thin sliver.

"Stabbed..?" I mumbled to myself as I grabbed the needed medical supplies with a million questions going through my mind at the same time.  
_**Is she of noble blood? **_I thought to myself. _**Assassination? But who is she then? Why haven't I heard of her? If she is noble why was she only carried by two guards for help?  
**_Shaking my head, I clear my thoughts and purely focus on my job.  
It was fairly simple actually, the knife hadn't pierced her stomach or intestines or by now she would have been in a much more critical condition, all that was needed was to sterilize the wound before I set my equipment down and felt the familiar tingling sensation in my hand as I summoned the energy to heal my patient.  
Placing my palm across the wound I felt the energy flow from my hand and onto the woman's stomach as the cut itself began to close and the new skin connected to together and heal properly so that there was no scarring.  
Looking back up from my patient, I look over to where I last saw the two guards standing only to find that someone else took their place.

"Hello Aphra" I spoke to the figure as I had immediately recognized who it was.  
She nodded before walking towards the table nearest the hearth.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." She replied in her usual monotone voice whenever she had a long shift or a particularly arduous task, while also placing her helmet to the side.  
I shook my head as I reached over to a damp cloth.

"Actually no, I just finished. It's almost a miracle to be honest, whoever did this barely missed her internal organs, thank the sun." I replied as I began to wipe clean my patient's face, and stomach.

"Who is she?" I asked, but my friend only shook her head before quietly responding.

"No clue, we found her during our patrol she was like this so we neither had nor took the time to ask questions and brought her to you, once we saw the blood."  
I glanced over to Aphra as she had made herself at home already, taking the kettle I usually have on the table and setting it over the fire.  
She pulled off her helmet, letting her black hair fall down to her shoulders, her intimidating gaze quickly matching up to mine.  
I lowered my eyes back down to my task and began cleaning off the dried blood across this woman's stomach.

"Anything else interesting happen today?" I ask, keeping my gaze down.

"Not. A. Thing." Aphra sighed before I could hear a slight thump as she set her face down onto the table.

"His Majesty is still demanding reports for every routine patrol with our group; it was a joy explaining in my report how we found a noble unconsciousness and dying in the corner of an alley way, I hope you don't mind, but I also wrote that we took her to you." She muttered.

"I don't mind…I'm not surprised he's ordered such a demand, bearing in mind that his majesty Azir is planned to reach ascendance, news like this will probably make him double the security." I replied, folding the cloth and tossing it aside.

I walk over to the corner of the room and opened the dresser located right next to the three cots I had in place for those who were in need of my aid but were clearly unable to move from here.  
Inside of the dresser I pulled out a simple cotton pull over shirt that I kept in store for occasions like this; I looked at my medical and living area they both were rather crowded with the combination of cots, a table, and my medical section but mostly I went out to deal with injuries, sicknesses and other things so it was rare to have a patient stay nowadays.  
Almost as if reading my thoughts Aphra had an analytical look in her eyes as she scanned me before turning back to the warming kettle.

"I honestly don't understand why you choose to stay here in the common area with us, hell I'm sure that the emperor himself will happily have you stay in his damn palace if you asked." Shaking my head, I draped the shirt over my arm before closing the cabinet drawer.

"It's too busy there, anyways if I were to move there I wouldn't be able to have you to talk to in the afternoon, I always need that dose of sarcasm at the end of my day or else it wouldn't be the same." She snorted at here this.

"Aww you're so sweet, I might even cry a little." Walking back to the table, I removed the upper portion the unknown woman's clothes and slip the cotton shirt over her head.

"Well if you do, make sure not to do it in front of your men, wouldn't want to ruin your image."

"Oh shut up." She snapped. At that moment the kettle started to boil over, Aphra as always quick to react grabbed it carefully away from the fire then dropping a handful of herbs into the boiling water and let them steep.  
I picked up the woman and began to carry her over to the nearest cot, she was surprisingly heavy considering her lithe figure made her seem very fragile and maybe even dainty.  
It was only then I felt her shift in my arms, I looked over to see two crazed eyes staring at me, the previous peaceful expression on her face was now replaced with one of absolute terror.

"LET GO OF ME!" She squirmed and struggled in my arms but couldn't seem to move all too well, that didn't stop her from pressing her hands against my face and my head away from her.

"Ma'am, you need to calm down!" I could hear Aphra's commanding voice say.

"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? YOU INSOLENT FOOL! DON'T YOU REALIZE WE'RE GOING TO DIE?" The woman screamed at the top of her lungs, pushing my face with unrealized strength.  
She then rolled her body forward out of my hold and fell to the floor with a thump, however her legs lay in front of her unmoving as she struggled to get across the floor away from us.  
I immediately got next to the woman on the floor and grabbed onto to her shoulders and turned her to face me.

"Ma'am. Stop yourself and calm down. You're not going anywhere since you have next to no control of your motor functions right now and unless you plan to incapacitate the both of us we're not going to let you crawl out of here."  
She looked at me with, her face was contorted into one of a sneer, but that quickly changed once she weighed her options.  
I stared at her until she looked back to me, defeat evident.

"Fine, but do not think I will let a peasant talk to a noble like this unpunished." With one problem solved I continued my stared and gave a simple command.

"Let me carry you." She looked surprised and disgusted with me.

"Excuse me!? How dare you!" My patience was no longer available, instead I scooped the "noblewoman" into my arms and got up to my feet.

"U-unhand me!" she yet again struggled but I kept my grasp firm as I carried her to the cot and dropped her onto it. Ignoring the woman's mutterings, I dragged a chair away from the table and set it at the foot of the bed before I plopped myself into it and returning my gaze back to the lady.

"First off, what is your name?" She glared me before stating in a clear and of course noble voice:

"Selena… Selena Deleon."

"Right Selena, we're doing good so far, second question: Why were you stabbed and left in an alley?" I questioned further.  
Selena's glare quickly turned back to her look of fear.

"I-I don't know…" Instantly the hue that covered her entire being turned a darker black.

"You're lying, I can see it and we both know that I'm not going to stop asking until you answer with the truth."  
Selena returned back to her look of distaste as she glared at me once again.

"If we were in any other situation, you would be executed on the spot." I smiled as yet again I removed another layer of falsehood from between us.

"I highly doubt that, so I believe you were going to tell us the truth?"

"….I think it's best if I show you, but I don't think your simple mind could handle my thoughts." She sneered.  
Quirking an eye brow I opened my mouth to respond but before I could utter a word Selena hurled herself towards the foot of the bed grabbing a hold of my head and pressing her fore head against mine.

The world for me turned black as everything just seemed to shut off, I was plunged into darkness as nothing met my mind. And then like a growing flame the light met my eyes and a world came back into focus, yet I couldn't move. I stood still as someone else controlled my motions and turned my gaze elsewhere on their own accord. Was I looking through Selena? The rooms around us was dimly lit though well kept, the golden bricks having the shadows of the area being casted upon. The furniture was scarce as the only additions I had seen were two chairs and a table, I myself sitting in one of the chairs. We were waiting, almost as if for some late to a meeting or gathering. I felt Selena impatiently tap one of her crossed arms as the minutes ticked by. For what seemed like an hour nothing happened until-

"Miss Deleon…" A voice whispered behind her. The two of us didn't bother to turn around and face this unknown man, for the reason of….well because it's Selena.

"You're late." She snapped, her voice had an edge to it that was sharpened with impatience.

"My apologies…" The man spoke, his voice was deep and had a feeling of wisdom behind it.

"My situation grew….complicated as I had tried to arrive on time, being as I do have to sneak past the emperor himself in order to attend these." The man continued. _**Emperor? **_I asked myself.

"Well are you going to keep standing there or are you going to join me?" Selena spat.

"But of course…Miss Deleon." The figure spoke before I could hear the quiet footsteps sound behind me.  
The man strode over to his side of the table and sat himself down.  
One of the first things I notice about him is that he wore a cloak of the magus, and that his face was covered in an intricate mask.  
The mask itself had no mouth only two holes positioned for sight and carved lines down from the eyes and down to where the mask would be.  
On the forehead was the shape of that everyone knew as Shurima's symbol of power: The Sun Disc.  
Behind the mask Selena and I could see a piercing gaze staring at the two of us, it had no sympathy, it had no emotion, and it had only one thing: Greed.

"You stride with such confidence, for a slave." Selena sneered, unphased by the man's demeanor.  
Whoever this was seemed to be unaffected by the comment, only moving his hands together and interweaving his fingers while his gaze told everything and nothing at all.

"So, Miss Deleon, are your _servants _in position?" He questioned.

"But of course, what do you think me as? On the day of the brat's ascendance my _slaves _will be ready to shift the binds as you requested.  
In exchange you will make my family the royal bloodline correct?" Selena spoke, her voice dragging out _**slaves **_as slow as she could, however the man yet again seemed to be unaffected by this obvious jab.

"On that day they will be waiting for _your _signal to divert the beat…then my part of our deal will be finished, the rest is yours to do."

The figure nodded his head.

"Yes, of course, just like we agreed, once I have reached ascendance Azir and his pitiful empire of lies and empty promises will be obliterated to dust like it should have been a long time ago… leaving you to rule." The man spat, pronouncing Azir's name almost as if he had spoken a word that was truly obscene.

"I will have those two _savages _busy at that time so they should not pose as a problem.

"Why do you wear that mask, we have been meeting for such a long time now, I'm frankly insulted that you won't share your face with me, especially of someone's stature like yours." Selena shot out to her apparent partner.

"Ahh yes…How foolish of me, of course I should show my face to my partner, after all we have nothing _but _trust for one another correct?" The figure spoke, reaching up to his mask and pulling it off to reveal his face.  
Who I saw next sent a bolt of panic through my mind.  
The one who was planning this was one that Azir revered and trusted more than anyone: Xerath…  
He was smiling like the devil himself, his eyes only grew with the look of greed as he stood up from his chair and walked across to Selena's side of the table.

"Shall we shake to put a finalization on our agreement?" Xerath spoke, his voice was calm and authoritative.  
I could feel Selena quirk an eyebrow but nonetheless get up onto her feet and reach for his hand.  
In an instant Xerath grabbed onto Selena's arm and pull her towards him, out of the corner of my eye I could see the glint of metal reflecting off the dim light as pain shot through my stomach. Selena gasped as Xerath pulled the knife out of her stomach and we could both feel as the warm liquid spill out of the wound.  
The man pushed Selena away from him as we fell backwards onto the floor, our breath growing shallow.  
Xerath slipped his mask back on, but I could still feel his smile and his uncaring gaze.

"Once I reach ascendance, there will be _no _place for your kind of filth, those who have had to you will rise up and replace you as just citizens who truly do know what life is and not a despicable lie you like to feed yourself every day." His voice boomed as he then turned and called out to someone out of the room.

"Dispose of her, she is no longer of use as everything has now been put into position." Feeling my breaths grow short, I saw the darkness creep back into vision as the world went black again.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see Aphra's worried face calling my name.

"Rexas!?" Aphra almost screamed as she shook me.

"I-Is that a look of worry on your face?" I groaned, a dull pain thumped on the side of my head.  
A look of relief melted the worry off of Aphra's face as soon as she heard my little quip.  
After scanning me for another second she then steeled her expression and glared back to Selena.  
With the pain beginning to sharpen, I prop myself onto my elbows and twist my neck to look over…Then it came back to me.  
Xerath, Selena, their meeting, everything. Anger shot through my veins as I got back to my feet and stumble over to Selena's side who was now sitting up in her cot and rubbing her legs.  
She looked up at me and opened her mouth.

"Do you see n-"Was all she could say before I brought the palm of my hand across her face.  
The sound of the hit brought a sickening satisfaction as the rest of her head followed the direction of the hit.

"YOU INSOLENT PEASANT HOW D-"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." I growled, silencing her outrage. I could feel my blood boil as I restricted myself from just dragging the woman from the cot and throwing her into the street.

"Xerath approached you with the intent of sabotaging the ascendance ceremony, AND YOU AGREED TO IT?" Selena simply gaped at me as I continued, my voice growing louder by the second.

"NOT ONLY DID YOU AGREE TO IT BUT YOU DECIDED IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR HELP THAT HE WOULD APPOINT YOU WITH HIS OH SO MAGICAL FUCKING POWERS AS THE ROYAL BLOODLINE."

Aphra now stepped in.

"W-wait what!? Time out for a second, Rexas, what are you talking about!?"

Without removing my gaze from the woman cowering back from me, I spoke-well mostly growled as slow as I could in my condition.

"Our _**friend **_here, decided to show me that the reason why she was stabbed was because she was betrayed by Xerath, the head magus, the kingdom's adviser no less."

Aphra stammered.

"Rexas…this is a serious accusation…this could put you-"

"I know where it could land me Aphra." I interrupted before turning my attention back to the traitor in front of me. I slowly bent down, supporting myself with my arms, and inched closer to the woman until we were almost touching noses.

"Give me a reason to not throw you into the sewers and leave you to drown, you still haven't gotten back your legs, I don't think anyone would miss putrid filth like yourself." I whispered.  
Selena could only pull herself back away from me, that same cowardice in her eyes.

"Didn't think so." I immediately grabbed the traitor by the scruff of her neck and pulled her head down as I got up and started dragging her out of the bed and onto the floor.

"NO!" she screamed, flailing wildly as she tried to escape my grasp, like a fish floundering and gasping for breath.  
Dragging her, I trudge my way to the door, eyes set forward until I saw Aphra step into my way.

"Out of the way." I growled, but she stood firm, giving me the same glare that she would normally give criminal caught by her patrol.

"Rexas, it's enough."

Betrayal and hurt flowed alongside the still burning fury I had inside me.

"You're protecting this trash? Aphra-LOOK AT HER! SHE IS A TRAITOR AND NOTHING MORE THAN THE SCUM OF THIS CITY." I howled.

She simply shook her head and continued glaring.

"You're right, she is a traitor and scum for what she has done but what you want to do isn't justice." She spoke, her voice calm and authoritative, damn her she was trying to take control.

"What justice is that she'll be brought before the council for treason and will give testimony for her crimes as well as Xerath's." She then turned her gaze to the woman being dragged behind me. "Right?"

Selena nodded frantically as she tried to pry herself away from me.

"Yes! Yes! I'll do it! Just get him away from me!" She screamed.

With that Aphra turned back to me.

"You heard her Rexas."

I knew I was defeated, as my fury began to resolve, I let go of the woman's scruff and walked away, not looking at either of them, and sitting myself down at the table.  
It was then I felt the familiar claustrophobic sense, I felt enclosed, trapped, the air grew stale and I felt my breathing increase. _**No, not yet. **_

After a while, I felt a hand on my shoulder as Aphra had settled down the panicking Selena and had now returned to sit with me.  
Scraping her chair across the floor so that she was sitting near me, she stared at me with a look of the same worry as before.

"You're scary as hell when you're like that." She said, checking the kettle that had long since grown cold. Ignoring her I simply stared at the hearth.

"Enough Rexas, I'm the one who is supposed to be pig headed, speak to me." Aphra commented, a hint of exasperation was mixed into her voice.  
Again, I said nothing.  
Already I could feel it sink in, its tendrils digging deep into my heart; Guilt.  
I had let it take control again, and some part of me found it funny that the person whom an entire city relies upon, can easily turn into a rampaging monster. Other parts of me found it sick.  
My companion simply sighed, reading my expression and kicked back into her chair.

"So when has a psychic ever been a part of the noble families?" She whispered.

"You're asking an individual with the ability to see souls and able to heal wounds with a simple summoning, in a city where those of higher power are able to become essentially gods... I'm not surprised that our 'friend' here has those capabilities…What makes me wonder though, why haven't we heard of her?" I asked.

Aphra seemed to ease a little the moment I responded.

"When she sprung herself towards you and when you collapsed to the floor, I didn't know what to think... I just thought that…" She spoke, her voice was quiet,her soul now shifted to a deep blue mixed in with orange.  
I leaned over and held her hand in mine.

"Only then do I wake up and begin screaming bloody murder before trying to drag someone off to the sewers, I'm sorry..." I whispered, trying to desperately not to let the disappoint I had for myself bleed into my voice.

"Thank you for catching me again… I fell pretty far this time."

Aphra gently tightened her own grip against my hand.

"Please don't ever fall that far again." A lump grew in my throat as I tried to respond, but nothing _could _be said.  
Instead, Aphra looked at me and pulled me into a hug.  
Flabbergasted, it took me a second before I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her even closer.  
I then rested my head on her shoulder and tried to stop my face from betraying my emotions.  
I closed my eyes and attempted to stop the tears building underneath my eyelids, only to fail.

"I-I'm so sorry…"

Eventually, I pushed myself away from Aphra and got up from my chair.  
She was silent as she stared up at me with an inquisitive look.

"I need to tell them about what happened, by myself; I was going to tell them sooner but…" I spoke, before cutting myself off.  
Aphra simply sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"It's gotten dark out, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" She questioned.

"Yes, I need you to make sure that our friend here doesn't escape or worse get carried off, she's the key to all of this." I finished before grabbing onto my cloak and sliding my arms through the sleeves.  
Once I turned around, Aphra was right behind me before she yet again pulled me into another hug.

"Be safe, please." She whispered.  
I quickly hugged her back before responding:

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Begrudgingly she let go of me and allowed me to begin my trek outside.  
However, before I opened the door I quickly looked towards Selena who had fallen asleep clutching a pillow to her chest and a look of worry on her face, her soul also betrayed this by having now changed to what seemed like a squirming worm.  
_**So much for nobility **_I thought to myself before opening the door and walking into the night fallen city of Shurima.

* * *

Even under the cover of darkness I could navigate the winding passage ways of the city with ease.  
As I had taken many house calls I grew used to taking short cuts through the alleyways and streets to get to my destination.  
At times I had even been called to the royal palace by Azir himself, whether it was to tend to an injured guard or cure a member of the family.  
Since denying the emperor of Shurima's request isn't truly truly an option I had learned how to travel the path well.  
Even without the experience I could have still found the place since it wasn't exactly hidden from plain sight.

No more than an hour had passed before I stood in front of the towering structure, its golden architecture shined from the moonlight.  
Surprisingly, the city itself was abnormally quiet as I had encountered no one on my short journey, despite how usually crowded it is by day.  
Just then I could hear the sound of boots clicking against the cobblestone as an orange glow casted the shadows of two guards.  
Sparing no time I quickly make my way up the steps to the palace.  
Once I finally had reached the top I was almost immediately confronted by two guards that monitored the entrance.  
They both lowered their spears and pointed them towards me.  
Their armor was golden and as to be expected were regal with the wing-like designs attached to each shoulder and the emblem of the sun disc was inscribed on the two's helmets.  
The spears, while simple had a shining glow to them that sort of read: "This is going to hurt."

One of the guards spoke up as I continued to walk towards them.

"Halt, no one is allowed to enter during these hours and those who try are considered trespassers and will be treated accordingly." The man's voice was gruff however sounded bored like he was forced to read a scroll out loud.

"State your name and intention!" He continued.  
Even in the darkness I could slightly see his scrutinizing gaze glare at me, I guess it was custom to all guards.  
I could see both of their intentions warp and shift as my answered hadn't come after a few moments, obviously they were both suspicious yet curious at the same time.  
I lowered my hood and kept my face emotionless and my voice solid as I addressed them both.

"I am of the title: Custos Rexas, I swore my oath to the kingdom and its people, I wish you no harm."

While I could sense a feeling of nervousness prickle down my neck the two guards quickly readjusted their spears and stood straight once seeing my face.

"Custos? Why are you here at such a late hour, surely none of the members of the royal family are in need of your services."The guard spoke, his soul twisting slightly as his curiosity increased.

"No, I haven't been called for my service but I do have very important information for his majesty, and please, this cannot wait."I explained.

"What information?"He responded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say."I uttered, allowing a hint of an apology to slip through.

Yet again the guard straighten himself, but this time he nodded and turned towards his partner.

"Stay here, I'll take him up."He whispered as he waved his hand at me, signaling to follow him.  
Together we continued towards the palace.  
The between us silence was almost suffocating as I we both quietly walked.  
Before long we were both inside the grand structure, the walls were decorated with expensive tapestry, the spoils of many trading contracts from the numerous vendors that traveled in and out of the city.  
While it was the dead of night the combination of fire light and the walls made the interior of the house look like it was mid noon.

As my escort and I roamed to our destination I could feel many gazes from other guards and servants latch onto me, the souls of all of them speaking loud and clear:

**"What is he doing here?"**

Finally, at one point my escort stopped me and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Wait here, I will bring his majesty." Before walking down a hall way and disappearing from my sight.  
In my time alone I analyzed the room carefully.  
Much like the rest of the building the walls were lit with torches and the walls were dressed with tapestry, however one wall was completely replace with a terrace that had looked over the entire city.  
I slowly walked forward and gripped onto the railing as I looked out to the shining city.

I jumped slight as I heard a voice announce behind me.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"I turned around only to see Azir himself standing tall, the staff he held in one hand glowed gently with power as the man walked forward.  
The armor he always wore resembled that of a hawk, its helmet stretched and sharpened to a point resembling a beak, his chest plate was covered in intricate triangular designs as much like his underlings his armor at the shoulders were engraved with a wing like pattern.  
The metal flowed away from him and pointed upwards slightly giving him an aura of superiority. I gave a slight bow as I removed my hood and spoke.

"My lord Azir…"

He stared at me, the hawk-like face giving away nothing as I felt his gaze upon me.  
His soul shone brightly as it slowly but powerfully flowed through him.

"Custos Rexas…the boy who swore his life to the people of Shurima, I have great pride in you…"He spoke, his voice boomed through the room as he turned his gaze away from and walked to the edge of the terrace, his falcon like armor at the tips of his fingers digging into the railing.

"As I said, it is magnificent…"He declared.

"A city that has been built and stood tall above the sand dunes, a city that has stood strong against the ever powerful winds, a city that is eternal."

I stayed silent as Azir continued his speech, trying to avoid any possibility of irritating him.

"A city whose people stay strong against all foes that they face, people who willingly follow and accept their emperor and his capable hands. This is what makes a true empire; trust and the readiness to welcome the orders of their leader, is it not, Rexas?"

I pondered Azir's words as I begin to take apart their meaning.  
It was true that yes acceptance and trust is key, but one could easily forget why they are leading and who the columns of an empire are truly.  
This action alone is what defined a true leader, for he wasn't in charge for his own gain, but for the gain of everyone he is leading  
. I opened my mouth to speak but before I could utter a syllable a voice shouted behind me that sent a cold chill down my spine.

"Very true words my lord, however I believe they have only fallen upon deaf ears."Xerath spoke as he strode towards both me and Azir, a legion of guards following his motions. _How did he know?  
_My thoughts screamed in my head, only to have the sad ironic truth display itself before me.  
_The report._

"A-Azir, please you have to trust me X-"I stuttered but the Magus was quick drown out my words.

"That is enough Rexas! I will not have a traitor and a murderer lie to my emperor!"He yelled.  
_Murderer? No…he can't have…_Were the only thoughts that crossed my mind as he continued.

"Guards, restrain him!"Xerath commanded, and in response two men came out of the line and moved to grab me.  
I spared quick glance at Azir who had backed away from me, his mask only betrayed of what I had feared.  
The hawk's eyes were judging and unfeeling towards what he thought was a killer.

"We've already dealt with _your little friend_, Rexas you have no other choice but to comply."

My blood froze, I could feel all feeling drain from my body as realization dawned upon me.  
I thrashed violently against the guards, I would have strangle the life from his smug expression underneath that mask if I had the chance.

"Xerath! What have you done with Aphra! Tell me!"I screamed as the guards pulled my arms back and knocked my balance off of my feet.

"Your accomplice has been charged and given the punishment for the murder of Selena Deleon, you will in turn receive your own punishment."Xerath snarled.

"You snake! You are a lying treacherous fiend! I'll kill you for touching her!"I howled, as the guards only pulled me back further away from the true traitor.

"AZIR-PLEASE, DO NOT TRUST THIS MAN!"I pleaded as I was forced down to the floor, my head was forcibly pushed to face downward.  
My heart beat in my throat and I could barely breathe, but I could still hear The Emperor's command as clear as day.

"Take him."

"NO, PLEASE, AZIR LISTEN TO ME!"I screamed as I was dragged away from the balcony to my awaiting fate. "XERATH WILL BETRA-"  
The world went dark as I felt a sudden dull pain on the back of my head.

In that darkness it was only then did I finally truly open my eyes.  
Though it truly didn't make a difference as darkness was the only thing that did and has been greeting my sight for what has felt for millennium.  
The "air" around me felt shallow and stale as the feeling of suffocation enveloped me.  
The feeling of claustrophobia sent my senses into a panic as the invisible walls seemed to close tighter and tighter around me, crushing me but never killing me.  
This hell was never ending, I had been trapped inside this prison for eternity and there was no door.  
My only escape were the memories I hopelessly replay inside of my own head.  
But even then after all this meaningless time, I could still hear my own screams, pleading and begging for them to stop as my soul was torn from my body.  
The disappointed and malicious glares both from the spectators and the one who held me down: Nasus, and Renekton.  
However, what cut itself inside me and tore pair through every sense I had was the knowledge that I had killed Aphra, her death was because of me.  
If I had been quicker, if I had been smarter, if I never got her included into the madness, she might have still lived on, but in the end I was a failure.

I could still remember what they had deemed me for my supposed "crimes" I was, of course stripped of my title of Custos and had been named a monster, I was given a name that was a curse to any who dared speak it: _Inumbris_.

Through the depths of my despair I could feel a spark of fury.

"_**This is what makes an empire; trust…" **_Azir, in the end you were a blind fool who ignored a warnings of destruction but couldn't see through his own "greatness" as a leader.  
He was nothing, and soon would be reduced to it if he wasn't already.  
His actions were nothing but a doll's, manipulated and pulled by invisible strings to chase the sun, it was time someone cut the strings.

Feeling my fury burn through whatever depression I had left I screamed into the darkness pushing against the walls that crushed me, kicking and clawing at my prison.  
I hate him, I hated Azir, I hated Xerath and most of all I hated myself.  
I cursed all of us to a condemned fate in whatever hell there may be, I was burning in one already why not invite the others to join me.  
I continued my relentless attack against my invisible chains letting my anger control my actions, letting my hatred fuel my energy.  
It was only then did a crack form in what was the seemingly endless darkness.  
Everything I felt was shattered, my anger and hatred gone, instead what filled my mind as a small amount of light seeped through the grow fracture was hope.  
My chains broke as I extended my arm and reached towards the small crevice, a cool breeze filled the air, replacing the stale emptiness that tortured me for eons.  
I wrapped me fingers around the edge of the crack, pulling myself closer as the wound grew wider and wider. The light grew even brighter, it banished the darkness and blinded me as it had filled everything.  
The walls were shattered, and I was free.

I opened my eyes and felt a surge of energy go through my body, I immediately sat up and got to my feet…  
Before falling flat on my face into the sand.  
The strength in my legs had abandoned me as my body had long since forgotten the sensation of standing.  
I chuckled to myself as reality was dawning on me.  
It was over, I was free, I was finally free from hell.  
The eternity I spent in pain and torment equated to nothing.  
Then I realized, how long was I trapped? How much had Shurima advanced?  
Had Xerath even accomplished his plan?

I scrambled in the sand before feeling something bump against my leg.  
I looking down I see a hand sword half buried in the ground.  
The blade was a light purple and grew darker towards the edges.  
In the center was a black, smooth, panel of what looked like onyx.  
The handle was decorated in a familiar triangular design however at the point where the handle and blade meet was what seemed to be a black rose engraved into the metal.

Everything came back to me, my prison, my torture device was the very thing in my hands.  
I skittered backwards away from the sword as if it were a rabid animal.  
All sense of my joy was dissipated as I gazed at the object that made my existence hell.  
My heart beat in my ears, and I could feel a familiar sense of dread build up in my stomach.  
I slowly and wobbly got up to my feet, trying desperately to keep my balance.  
I took a step forward and felt my foot bury itself slightly into the sand.  
I continued this until I stood directly in front of the blade.

I nudge it with my toe and waited for the blade to react, yet nothing happened.  
I bent forward and grabbed onto the hilt, using the strength in my back to pull the sword out of the ground.  
Again, nothing happened.  
As I felt the blade in my hand, I noticed its weight was almost perfectly balanced into my hand, as I tightened my grip the handle only seemed more comfortable against my palm.

Dropping the sword to my side I decided I had been in this cave for enough time.  
I scanned the area for any entrances or holes that I could use to escape.  
A small crevice in the top of the cave provide enough light for me to see what seemed like a stone door.  
Wedging the blade in between the door and the wall I pull the sword towards me and crack open the entrance. More light flooded through the open hole which happily accepted as I ran up the steps.

The giddy feeling of hope yet again coursed through my veins as I reached the exit of the cave.  
The sun blinded me with its rays as gazed up to the sky with an insane smile across my face.  
Blinking away the light, I feel the warmth of the hot sands against my bare feet.  
Feeling the high winds blast the sand across my face, I didn't care, the anything that wasn't the sensation of suffocation was gladly accepted by me.  
I looked back towards the cave I had just exited only to have my heart stop.  
It wasn't a cave…it was a vault.  
The Shuriman symbols that were carved into the stone were faint, almost lost to the years of erosion, but it was undeniably still there.  
I quickly turned around and scanned for anything else on the horizon.  
Like a shadow the ruins of multiple structures appeared once my blind spots had faded away.  
Everything I knew were now piles of rubble, being eaten up by the sands and winds.

My home was gone.

"No…" My voice was hoarse and my throat felt like I had eaten the dust that lied underneath my feet.  
I fell to my knees, repeating the same word over and over.

"No…No….NO…..NO!" I screamed, clutching my head and voicing my agony towards the ground.  
Anything I had hoped for was now gone, blown away and left as dust.

Shurima was dead.


	2. Chapter 2: The Lonely Road

Dusk had settled across the sky, the sun's rays long gone.  
Any stars that tried to show themselves were smothered by a thick inky grey blanket of clouds. Cold winds blew by me, swiping at my face and sending a cold chill through me.  
I pulled my cloak tighter around me as I trudged forward through the plains.  
I had forgotten what the cold felt like truly, and now here it was to give me a bitter reminder that has lasted for longer than what I can remember.  
The road I walked upon carried the scars of decades of abuse.  
My feet felt like they were in shatters as I kept moving forward without stopping, there wasn't much else I did now.  
Hearing a small patter, I felt a small raindrop fall across my face.  
The small noise was soon drowned out by an increasing roar as the rain plummeted to the ground.  
I craned my neck downwards as I let my hood take the brunt of the storm instead.  
Even through the fabric I could still feel each and individual raindrop smack into my robes, it was almost relaxing, like a thousand individual marbles rolling across me.

This was my "life" now, a seemingly never-ending trudge across countless landscapes.  
I almost never stopped, giving the world a cold shoulder while it more than happily did the same to me.  
It was almost like I was a corpse, reanimated and forced back into the world, only for it to realize that everything that it knew was dust.  
It was now more than ever did I find myself thinking of the past, going back to either try to rekindle some warmth in my heart or to curse myself as each failing replayed slowly and painfully in my mind.

* * *

I buried my own face in my hands as I felt my chest collapse in on itself.

Everything I loved was gone, the people who I swore to protect were dead, and Aphra… the only one delusional hope I had that kept me from breaking apart in my prison.  
I was never going to see her again.  
I felt a sob creep up into my throat but no tears came, I was now stripped of that human gesture.  
Time was lost to me yet again as when I finally looked back to the sky the sun was now below the horizon.  
Getting back up to my feet, I went to explore the ruins that were once my home.

* * *

An image in the back of my mind dragged me out of my thoughts as I could feel someone heading down the path towards me.  
It wasn't until they were right behind me did I hear the clopping of horse hooves against the pavement, and the whining of a wagon wheel.  
I looked behind me to see two horses trotting up to my left as their wagon and rider were pulled along.  
The horses were of a chestnut brown, while the vehicle itself seemed old and withered.  
The man in control was disguised by the darkness until he by some miracle in this rain lit a lantern next to his head.  
He himself was well built, his, face was somewhat rounded and covered in a thin beard.  
His eyes looked at me with a sort of warm curiosity as he opened his mouth.

"Awfully lovely weather we're havin, stranger." He jested.  
I felt compelled to speak with him but ultimately kept my silence, as I simply stared up at him.

"Not much of a talker? Aye, I getch ya, you prefer to mostly keep to yourself, there's no dishonor in that." He continued, his voice barely audible from the rain.

"Well I'm Agrass, Agrass Sheinchoung, pleased to meet ya." He said, keeping his warm tone as he reached his hand down to shake mine.  
I slowly took it as he immediately spoke up again.

"If ya don't mind me askin what's your name?"

I wanted to say my name as I built the words together, but were forced back into my throat.  
I couldn't say it, not anymore.

"Inumbris…I am Inumbris." I croaked, my voice was quiet and somewhat raspy as I had barely any reason to talk.  
Agrass quirked his eye brow as he kept his grip firm with mine.

"Inumbris? Well would you like to catcha ride with me? It's no good for your health to be out in this rain."

Again I was a loss for words, it had been a long time since anyone warmly invited me to anything.  
I nodded slowly as stepped onto the side bar of the wagon while Agrass pulled me up.

"Thank you." I whispered to him, he in turn smiled.

"Ah no problem, I just thought it was sad to see a stranger all by himself in the rain." He grabbed onto the reigns of his horses and whipped them to move forward.

"So, Inumbris, where ya headin?" Agrass asked as he kept his eyes on the road and his horses.

"…I don't really know, I'm just sort of on… a journey…" I replied stupidly, I had no goal with my travels, and in all honesty I was lost as I had no idea where I was anymore.  
Names often all slipped by me as I hiked forward like a soldier in a constant march.

"On a journey eh? So how'd you end up on the western side of Noxus?" The man continued.

"Noxus? What's Noxus?" Again I asked the stupid questions.

Agrass then let out a hearty laugh.

"What's Noxus? It's only one of the most influential kingdoms in all of Valoran." He said in between breaths.

"Oh…" I quieted my voice to where it was barely audible.  
How much had things changed over the years?  
In my travels surely I would've heard _something _about an entire country at least.  
It was true that I chose to avoid major cities and towns but…how could I have shut myself off so easily?  
Lost in my own thoughts of trying to recollect my journey, it was then I heard Agrass rambling.

"-it's decent living most of the time, yet General Swain doesn't hesitate to show his power to anyone who steps out of line."  
He paused, and looked towards me as if someone were listening in on the conversation, before lowering his voice so that I head to lean in just to understand him.

"The soldiers that patrol our towns are free to do as they please, within certain limits of course but… most of them act like they own th' place and are brutes because of it."  
After that he leaned back into his seat and raised his voice.

"But besides that and taxes, it's decent livin, while sellin wheat might not be the nest payin job, it gets us through…" His voice lost his usual cheerful and warm tone.

"But if Holus' condition continues…" His voice then dropped again to a slight mumble.

I glanced over to Agrass, his face was emotionless but betrayed his sorrow none-the-less.

"Holus?" I asked, as the silence began to grow between us.  
He took his time before responding.

"He's my son; he usually works with me out in the wheat fields but… one day while were workin h-he cut himself on the scythe he didn't tell us about it until when he started actin funny…It got infected and n-now he isn't even able to get out of his bed from the pain."

"He's suffering from blood poisoning? Don't you have a medical practitioner or a doctor in the town?

He simply shook his head.

"We haven't had a doctor in our town for years…"

I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach form and chills trickle up the back of my neck.

_**Could I do it?**_  
It felt as if a small piece fitted back into my mind.  
The concept of healing itself seemed almost foreign to me now.  
Was I even able to do it anymore?  
Had I lost the only thing that kept me being just above a slave within the Shuriman borders?  
I threw back any doubt inside my mind as I felt my chest become cold and feel, curiously enough, excitement pump through my veins when I spoke up.

"I-I think I can help you."

* * *

The cart raced across the worn dirt road as I could see faint lights from the upcoming town.  
The rain pelted my face as the storm grew worse. Looking over to Agrass I noticed a look of determination on his face, his soul was no longer mournful but forcing every part of its will to get the cart to move faster.  
It wasn't long until the two of us had reached the town, most of its inhabitants were huddled inside as protection against the weather,but those who remained outside either stared at the spectacle or voiced their complaints for us to slow down, we dutifully ignored them.

"Hyeah!" Agrass yelled, whipping his reigns against the horses causing them to quicken their pace.  
We soon passed through the town and headed farther down the path until we stopped at a small cottage.  
I immediately hopped of the carriage and strode to the house.  
Agrass appeared to my side and ran ahead of me to open the door, inviting me in.  
The cold air of the night was replaced with a warm radiance, what seemed to be the main room of the house was bathed in the light of a lit hearth.  
The room was separated into two halves one being a kitchen and the other what appeared to be a living room positioned next to the fire, in the corner were a flight of stairs that lead to the upper level of the house.  
I had no idea whether or not Agrass even had what I needed but I owed it to them and myself to try and attempt what I swore to do.

"Agrass you're home, wait who is this?" A quiet voice called out.  
Walking down the stairs was whom I guessed to be Agrass' wife.  
She wore a simple brown cotton dress, her black hair was tied back and she held in her hands an old rag.  
Her face was elegant but was also pulled into a concerned expression, and her soul was the same as Agrass' when I first met him.

"Theresa, this is Inumbris, he can help Holus."

Her eyes shifted from her husband to me before she slowly started nodding, tears forming in her eyes.

"Please…help."

I pulled off my travel cloak and threw it to the side, detaching the leather straps that held the scabbard of my sword and setting it down against the wall.  
I began rolling up my sleeves and turned towards Agrass.

"I'm going to need-"my voice left me when I noticed that his gaze was fixated on my neck.  
Confused, I reach up and pressed my fingers to my throat and the branding stretch across my skin.  
_**Oh…that…**_

**The Past**

I walked across the scorching sands, the heat sending jolts of pain into my feet, but I ignored all of it.  
I stumbled through the dunes dragging my prison behind me until I stopped dead at the edge of a cliff face.  
My fears were only solidified as I gazed across the destroyed city.  
The pyres that held the sun disk of Shurima were decrepit as the magnificent golden structure was almost buried by the sands.  
The arches that once lead paths to the gates were gone now, either destroyed or buried as well. Walking down the mount of dust that connected the cliffs to the pit I notice a line of figures slowly making their way around the ruin, nomads most likely.

Parts of the pit now had small forests growing on top of the withered stone as nature was slowly claiming back its territory.  
The sand crunched underneath my bare feet as I made my way up to the only revealed edge of the sun disc.  
The sun's rays still reflected off of the construct in a shimmering glory, even after all of these years.  
The metal itself was molded into beautiful complicated designs as they could focus the sun's radiance to one specific spot to the city, The Ascendants' Overlook.  
Kneeling down onto the disc, I wiped away the sand and peered at my own reflection.  
It was almost terrifying to see that almost nothing had changed about me.  
My dark brown hair remained short and bedraggled making a notable contrast with my paler skin.  
The clothes I wore were that of a convict, the same thin rags I wore when my soul was ripped from my body.  
However, one part was different.  
Looking closer at my reflection I notice one jagged scar running of the side of my neck and down into my collar.  
Its shape was unnatural as it looked almost like a crack across a porcelain figure, and the scar itself was dark as night.  
I knew what it was, it was the branding of my imprisonment, the result of an eternity of torture that was enough to drive even the strongest willed insane; and I had to carry it with me always.

In the moments I examined my hollow appearance I felt a sudden jolt in the back of my mind as something walk up towards me.  
I turned my neck to see a figure dressed in white robes that were held together by a ribbon belt at the waist.  
Their face was covered by the same fabric as protection against the sun and sands, but even so I could tell that their complexion was similar to those of Shurima.  
Their eyes shifted from me and then to the sword in my hands as they stepped closer.  
I got to my feet and backed away, lifting my prison and pointing at them.  
The stranger raised their hands to signify that had no malicious intentions.  
I kept the point of my sword trained on them, my entire arm shook as I took another step back.  
They reached up to their hood and pulled the wrappings away, reveal the stranger to be a woman.  
She then locked her gaze back onto mine and spoke to me.  
Most of what she said to me to my understanding sounded like broken Shuriman, but from what I could understand her message became clear.

"_Do you need help?"_

**The Present**

Shaking my head, I casted away the memories back into the recesses of my mind and focused back onto Agrass.

"Be ready to grab whatever I ask of you, when I say so." He nodded his understanding as I then turned back and climbed up to the second floor.  
The room was of a much darker fluorescence that the lower level, but even so I could clearly see a still figure in one of the beds.  
Holus' face was pale and drenched with sweat as well as covered in blotches of red skin.  
Beneath his right shoulder was a bandage with blood seeping through the fabric.  
His soul was dim and almost looked like it was squirming from the pain.  
I pressed my ear down against his chest. His heart was beating at a rapid pace and his breathing was shallow.  
I cursed under my breath.

"What?" I heard Theresa say behind me.

"It's definitely blood poisoning, his symptoms show that it has grown to the point where it can be fatal if we don't do something quickly."  
The crestfallen expression on her face told me enough of her thoughts.

"Tell Agrass I'm going to need turmeric roots, garlic and honey, as well as water to keep his body hydrated. Also I need you to bring me a bowl, a mug, a spoon and a tool of any kind to grind herbs with." She nodded and turned to run back down the stairs.

"Wait! Have you cleaned his wound at all to keep the infection from getting worse?" Theresa looked back towards me.

"Yes, I have a bucket of fresh water and a rag right next to the bed." She said before running down the stairs.

I took a breath in and turned my attention to the patient at hand.  
I leaned over Holus and unwrapped the bandages that covered the injury before taking the rag and dipping it into the water.  
I dabbed his wound and wiped the area around it before washing my hands in the bucket.

"The moment of truth" I sighed.  
Laying my palm over the wound I focused my mind on my hand and willing any energy I had into it.  
To my relief I felt a surge flow from my shoulder to my palm before spreading across the injury.  
I could feel the flesh begin to knit itself together and the infection be wiped from the open cut.  
Taking my hand away I examine his shoulder only to see only a faint white scar stretch across it, feeling giddy with relief I chuckled slightly.  
I then heard two sets of feet stomp against the wooden steps, I turned myself to see both Theresa and Agrass standing in front of me carrying what I had asked of them.

"Thank you, now just set them down here." I spoke, gesturing at the night table next to the bed.

Once everything was set I looked at the couple before smiling slightly.

"If you wouldn't mind, I find that I work best not being under the gaze of others." I said respectfully.  
If they say what I would try to do they would either think of me as a god, or accuse me of dark magic, neither of which I truly wanted.  
The two of them, again, nodded their understanding.

"Don't worry, your son will be fine."

Years of medical experience came flooding back to me as I turned to Holus, his parents were most likely going to sitting on the steps right underneath the floor as they waited.

Wasting no time I grab the garlic and peel away the paper before placing the cloves into the bowl.  
I took the stone tool and mashed them into small chunks, I then take the pot of honey and pour some of the golden liquid into the bowl before mixing the combination.  
Taking the spoon, I hover over Holus and prop of his head with an extra pillow, he groaned in defiance as I tried to open his mouth.

"Holus, I need you to relax, you're in safe hands. Open wide." I whispered as I put the spoon to his lips.  
Silently, he opened his mouth and I tilted the spoon letting contents slide down his throat.  
I repeated this until the entire bowl was empty.

I grabbed one of the turmeric roots off the table and began grind it into a fine powder.  
Once I had turned it to dust I poured a small amount into the mug and grabbed the waterskin and poured its contents in.  
I stirred the solution I leaned back over Holus and put the mug to his lips.

"Holus, drink this, it tastes terrible but it'll help." He complied and allowed me to slowly pour the mixture down his throat.  
Putting them mug aside, I rolled my sleeves and place my hand against the young man's chest.  
I sent the familiar wave of energy flow into his chest, willing his body to fight the infection and cleanse itself of it.  
Stopping the flow I collapse onto the floor as all of my energy had been spent.  
I gasped for air as the sound of my heart beat inside of my ear drums.  
I was out of practice, and out of shape.  
I could barely replenish my own energy as I it passed on to the next person.  
A feeling of fatigue and accomplishment washed over me as I looked towards Holus' still frame to see that his soul had grown brighter and his breaths was regularizing.

I got up to my feet and felt the room spin around as I grabbed onto the wall for support. Slowly I made my way to the stairs ignoring the feeling of nausea, someone had to break the news to his parents.

The moment I appeared at the top of the stairs both Agrass and Theresa berated me with questions about their son.  
I quickly pacified their worries and explained to them about Holus' condition.

"I've managed to placate your son's sickness so that it's no longer lethal, if given the right treatment he'd probably be back to normal in one maybe two days." I stopped, looking at both of them in the eye before continuing.

"So has for treatment all you ha-Ack!" Was all I managed to say before two very strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me into a spine crushing hug.

"Inumbris, thank you! Thank you so much! I don't know what…" I heard Agrass ramble as he hugged me tighter, squishing the side of my face into his chest.  
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Theresa smile warmly at the two of us.

"Oh! Agrass-it's fine! Please! It-was no trouble! Just-please! Stop-crushing-me." I sputtered.

"Oh, sorry!" He then loosened his grip, dropping me onto my feet.

"It's okay, it's just you got one hell of a bear hug." I adjusted my back, only then did I realize how much the man truly towered over me.  
Agrass stepped back to his wife's side as she looked out the window to the night sky.

"The rain stopped." She noted, her voice returning back to its quiet volume.

Her husband sent out a resounding laugh and clapped his hands together, his soul seemed to be almost bouncing with joy.

"Good! I'll go grab us a couple of bottles of mead!" She spoke as he then turned around and headed out the front door into the darkness.  
I looked to Theresa to see her sigh and lock her gaze onto mine.

"Do you drink tea?" She asked.

Taken by somewhat of surprise I nod and give a small chuckle.

"Yes, thank you."

With this Theresa motioned towards to one of the chairs by the fire place, before heading towards the kitchen, grabbing a small iron kettle and pouring water into it.  
I situated myself into one of the arms chairs closest to the hearth feeling the cozy warmth against my face.  
Theresa carried the kettle of water over to the fire and hanging it over the flame.  
She then sat herself opposite of me, the orange light casting an eerie shadow across her face.

"I just want to thank you again…not a lot of people are as generous as you, helping others whom they don't even know." She spoke.

"Theresa, if you don't mind me calling you by your first name. There's truly no need to thank me, healing others is what I do-sorry _did_."

She turned her head in curiosity, her eye projecting her thoughts and questions. "Did? What do you do now?" She asked.

I lowered my gaze to the burning coals of the hearth, the giddy high I had was long gone now.

"I mostly just wander now, actually you were the only people I offered my services to for a long time now, and so I must thank you instead for giving me a purpose, even if it was for a short moment."

"How old are you Inumbris?" Theresa asked, her eyes were searching me for answers, and I could feel her energy turn into pity.

"My age? If I am to be truthful, I don't know I lost track a long time ago." I could feel myself sink back into the depression that I had mentally resided in for the last couple of years.

"You look so young, but the way you speak…" She began but dropped her sentence, allowing the silence settle into the room again. I heard the sharp whistle of the kettle as Theresa got up and poured the water into two separate mugs before handing me one of them settling down into her seat again.

"Thank you…" I said as I began to take a sip, fully aware of what was going to happen.  
The moment the hot liquid touched my lips I could feel the aroma of a familiar metallic bitter taste of blood overwhelm my senses.  
I clamped my teeth shut and I get the liquid in my mouth no matter how terrible it tasted, grimacing as I swallowed it down.  
Once the after taste faded away, I could feel the hot tea warm me from the inside, it was one of the only comforting sensations I could feel anymore.

What they had done to me, stripped me of many of the aspects that made people human.  
Tears, taste, and even my own body warmth were now gone and replaced with bitter imitations to continue my torture.  
I could feel sadness but I had no water in me to cry, I could eat but only taste the sands of the desert, and I could drink but only taste the blood of the thousands of lives I failed to save, and there had been many nights that I huddled against myself only to feel cold winds blow through me.  
I wasn't human anymore, I was simply a forgotten memory of a once great kingdom and people.

In my own thoughts I didn't realize that dawn was soon approaching, the dim light of the sun barely reaching in through the windows.

"Theresa…This is going to sound weird but can I climb on top of your roof?" I asked, feeling awkward for the strange question.  
When I looked at her again I saw that she hadn't removed her gaze from me, she simply stared at me like how a mother would look at a child in pain.

"May I ask why?" She whispered, never taking eyes off mine.

"I would like to see the sun."


	3. Chapter 3: The Spirit of Vengeance

Sitting on top of the roof I embraced the radiant warmth of the rising sun, smiling slightly as I looked at orange sky.  
Even though I was stripped of most of my senses I was glad that at least I had this one thing.  
I was silent, thinking through my life as my hand slowly crept up my neck to where my scar presented itself.  
I found it funny but depressing that the only living remnant of Shurima was that of an exile and thought to be murderer.  
That them stripping everything I was and locking me away unintentionally saved my "life" if you could call it that.

That the "Almighty" Emperor who planned to have himself turned into a god, or even the one who betrayed him were here today.  
Well, that's what I thought.

* * *

When the sun finally reached high enough into the sky I climbed down from the roof, checked on Holus (who was still unconscious) told the couple the treatment for their son before bidding them goodbye.  
However before I could walk out the door, the two of them pulled me back and gave me a travel bag.  
Despite my denial the two of them held firm and said: It was payment for my service and that they hope to see me again.  
I thanked Agrass and Theresa a bidded them farewell before I walked upon the path again.

There I stood at the fork I the road, wondering what journey I could take.  
I could continue walking aimlessly across all of Valoran until the end of time or I could walk back to the town and nestle my roots there instead, gods knew that the people needed a doctor.  
And maybe, just maybe, I could even make up for my failure, not for Azir, not for the kingdom, but for the people that I swore to protect, for Aphra.  
To be honest, it was never truly a hard decision.

I quietly walked across the dirt road, my travel bag slung over my shoulder.  
The path was swamped from the night's storm, the rain having washed away most of the mud, leaving a barren uneven skeleton of rock.  
Nonetheless the inhabitants of the town were still bustling to their destinations.  
Though I couldn't say the town was crowded it was still somewhat startling for me to feel the busyness of that many people in one spot, a stark contrast to what the town was the previous night.  
Making my through the town, I looked for anyplace that I could sign for residency or apply for a position.

The area was small enough so that it didn't take me long to find what looked to be the town hall.  
As I passed people in the streets only the occasional glance was spared towards me as made my way to the steps.  
It was then I felt the focus of a group staring at me from behind, I ignored it, they had no quarrels with me and I had none with them.  
The town hall itself was simplistic it could have easily blended in with the rest of the buildings if it had not been for the small sign by the front entrance.

I walked into the town hall to be greeted by what seemed to be a sort of receptionist.  
She looked up at me, taking a second before she stretched a fake smile across her face and putting a sickly sweet tone in her voice.

"Hello! How can I be of service?" She asked, still sitting behind her desk.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could speak to someone in charge, I would like to apply for position in the town." I explained, trying to ignore her questioning look.

"Apply? Apply for what?" Her sickly sweet tone was gone now.

"You see, I have experience concerning the medical field and I heard that there hasn't been a doctor in this town for quite some time, I thought I could perhaps fill in for that position." The receptionist's look was skeptical as she glared at me, completely silent.  
It was a few minutes before she spoke up again.

"Do you have any credentials to back your claim?"

I was silent, I was stripped of my emblem when I was persecuted but even so I would barely think that a millennium year old artifact would qualify me today.

"I don't necessarily have credentials, but I have proven myself on multiple occasions that I am fit for the requirements." I responded, hoping that she would believe me.  
Again, the woman was silent as she stared at me.  
She then stood up from her desk and began walking towards the door in the back of the room.

"If you'd wait here, I'll have you speak with an official shortly" She stated to me while still having her back faced towards me.  
I stood there, waiting and hoping that whoever the receptionist was speaking would decide to indulge me.  
For what felt like another eternity I waited, the entire time I could feel the buzzing of activity in the back of my mind.  
Eventually, I saw the door reopen and the receptionist look towards me and nod.

One of the most noticeable things about the room, when I first entered, was the man seated behind the desk and the fact he looked in much better condition than the rest of the town.  
As soon I had stepped through the door I could feel the scanning gaze of the previously mentioned man.  
He had a slight smirk stretched across his face, almost as if in his mind he were picking me apart, piece by piece.  
The surroundings walls were adorned with multiple banners and plaques. The man gestured to the seat opposite of him, and I in turn sat myself down.

Immediately there was an almost palpable silence between the two of us as he continued to analyze me and I scanned his aura, which one gave the most information I'll never know.  
It was after a minute or so that I finally grew impatient and spoke up.

"You've probably been informed why I've asked to meet you, and I have no doubt that you have some questions for me."

He nodded silently as he never tore his gaze from me.  
Again, silence fell between the two of us, I decided I had indulged him in his staring contest for long enough, so my eyes began to drift across the room.  
The banners I had mentioned before all had different markings, signifying different events that could have held a sort of sentimental value to the man in question.  
My eyes shifted from the walls down to the stranger's desk, the organized labyrinth of papers all held miscellaneous information concerning political conditions, tax adjustments, wanted criminals or suspicious persons and what seemed to be a sort of contract.  
Looking closer it took me some time to read the upside text, however slowly but surely I began to piece together the sentences.

_**...this agreement will ensure that both powers shall engage in combat strictly within the boundaries set by the Institute of War.  
The aforementioned battle will determine the routes of trade between Noxus and Shurima.  
Both the designated leaders: Azir and High General Swain will appoint who they wish to participate in this event.  
However, each leader is restricted to choosing up to five members including themselves since they are both registered champions of The League.  
Since the result of the event in question has a wide spread influence for both powers this information will be made public, however the usual contract of anonymity each champion and summoner are provided as well as required to abide by, still stands.**_

_**Shurima...Azir...**_

No...It wasn't possible...How?  
Shurima was destroyed it just wasn't possible.  
Everyone I loved, everyone I swore to an allegiance to protecting was turned to nothing but sand, _**and he survived? **_

Fury burned inside of my chest, what I thought to be true was again torn down and cast to the wind.  
My mind buzzed like an angered hornet's nest as I could feel my scar on the side of my neck pulsate.  
I glared at the contract, swallowing my hatred and looking back up to the stranger sitting across from me.  
He had been mostly likely staring at me while I was looking through his papers as now he had lost his smirk and now quirked an eyebrow towards me.

"So, I've heard that you have no credentials to verify that you are able to fill in the position properly."

I instantly got out of my seat and turned towards the door, I've had enough it.

"You're right, I apologize for wasting your time." My monotone voice spoke with my back faced towards the stranger.  
Cracking my neck, I reach to the door only to be stopped by one word:

"W-wait"

I couldn't see the man's reaction to my outburst but I could hear him scramble from his desk as stride towards me.  
I felt a hand on my shoulder as he begged, lost of any bravado that it originally had.

"I-I'm sorry, i-it was rude of me to be acting that way, especially since you're applying for such an important role."

I rose an eyebrow, suspicion and frustration coursed through my veins as I turned around and glared at the stranger.  
The smirk on his face was long gone, only to be replaced with an expression of worry.  
He had completely changed in the blink of the eye, despite this I decided to indulge him for a little longer.

"I-if you could please sit with me, we can further discuss the conditions." He stammered, gesturing towards the two now empty chairs.

"I'm Mas ZhenZain, pleased to you…" He paused as he stuck out his hand in a friendly manner, awaiting my name.

"Inumbris…" I answered coldly, taking his hand and shaking it before joining him by the desk yet again.  
Mas ruffled his hair out of order as he pulled random pieces of paper from the top of his desk and organizing them together, the wanted posters and the Institute of War contract were now stored away.

"U-um sorry, let me just….there we go, so-Inumbris- you said you'd heard that this was missing a physician? From who exactly?" He was sweating, his aura twisted and turned anxious as if he were preparing to outrun a wild animal.

"Oh, I heard it from random person I met on the street, never caught their name though." I lied, scanning Mas for even the slightest reaction.  
He managed to regain some of his composure as he shook his head and set a sheet of paper aside.

"Shame, would've liked to thank them, you see we haven't had a doctor here in years." He then shifted through the pile of paper until he reached the one he wanted and grabbing a pen from his side.

"So while you don't have any documented qualifications of you medical capabilities, can you provide any evidence to prove th-?"

"No, I can't we've been over this already Mr. ZhenZain. I have no physical way of showing that I am a qualified physician, again I would like to apologize for wasting your time." I interrupted, my voice never changing from a monotone drone.

"No-just sit please, so if you don't have any forms of proving your prowess, you still can apply for the job as long you can follow u-up your words."

"Would you care to explain?" I spoke, looking Mas in the eye.

"As the town's official representative I can inform you t-that no one has applied for this position for years, and will mostly likely not have one for more to come. So we're willing to accept anyone."

"Oh…I see…" I spoke, trying to piece together what happened, this was too easy, one moment he was Mas ZhenZain silent asshole extraordinaire, but now he was practically begging me to take the position.  
Something wasn't right.  
Mas then gathered himself and stood up from his desk yet again.

"Would you be inclined to sign this paper work at your residence? I believe that there is a reserved building for the town's physician." He asked, his voice adding in the same sickly sweet tone his receptionist had, as he eyed the space between my head and shoulder.  
The moment of realization brought understanding and the feeling of stupidity.  
Strapped to my back was my prison but to him it was nothing more than a simple sword that I could run him through with.  
Of course he would act nervous, he probably thought I'd leave and come back to skewer him in his sleep.

"…In fact I believe the reserved building is just a couple of blocks away from the town hall." I heard him ramble, as he stepped around his desk and opened it for me.  
I got up from my seat and followed the man out the door and through the front hall.  
The receptionist looked at the two of us out of the corner of her eye as we both walked out the exit. Was it that simple?  
After all of this accidently flashing a sword and literally being the only one to apply could get me in so easily? I  
could feel my rage for Azir quell itself slightly as I made my through the town.

The sun was now high in the sky as soon was soon approaching.  
I continued to follow Mas ZhenZain as countless others passed us by until we hooked around a corner and passed through an alleyway until we reached a walled off section of the path; a dead-end.  
Mas stopped and stood there, I could feel his condition of fight or flight kick in.  
I instinctually began to back away from him turning on the heels of my feet to run away, only to have the feeling of cold steel press against my neck.  
No words were spoken as my balance was quickly swept from under me and I fell face first into the ground.

My head hit the ground with a thud and the world began to spin around me.  
I could feel rough hands take my prison from its sheathe and someone quietly mumbled as if they were passing it on to someone else.  
I then felt someone hold my wrists together and wrap rope around them before it was tightened and tied off.

Trying to fight off my dizziness I attempted to focus on those behind me and read off anything from them.  
I was soon stopped as the static from the entire town's activity blurred my thoughts and the throbbing pain grew.

"This is him you wanted right? I d-did what you asked a signaled you when we walked out the door." I heard Mas' voice stutter as my captor turned me onto my back, my eyes were berated by the sun's light as I focused my vision and stared up to see a woman glare down at me.  
Her face was mostly obscured by her iron helmet but her eyes were like that of a hawks looking at its prey before sinking its talons in.  
My heart pounded in my ears but I could still hear her voice snarl as she extended her hand towards the liar.

She was given a sheet of paper, her gaze flicked from me to the sheet and then back to me again.  
I stared up towards the parchment, the image printed on was titled: **ᗡ****ƎTИAW** with an image of a hooded figure their face glaring towards whoever was looking at the notice.  
The handle of a sword was present, sticking out from behind his back.  
On the neck of the figure was a crudely drawn jagged line but even so I instantly knew what it was: My branding.

_Son of a bitch. _

I was played like a fool, an ignorant fly walking straight into the web of a spider.  
I was zero for two now.

Mas wasn't interviewing me for a job he was scanning and comparing to the fucking wanted posters, _and I saw it!  
_I growled in frustration for my own stupidity, causing to the woman to snap her vision back to me, grab the front of my shirt and shake me silent.  
She then reached down and pulled down the collar of my shirt, exposing my scar.  
I glared at her, sending any silent curse I could think of to her aggravating face.  
She ignored my anger and turned her gaze to Mas who was standing behind me, noticeably cringing when she looked up at him.

"He looks the part but I can't be sure, _Mr. ZhenZain. _Rememberif General Swain is disappointed it's your ass that's on the chopping block." She barked, folding the wanted poster and putting it into her back pocket.

"B-but Ujiza…just look at the scar! Have you seen anyone else with that ugly mark? He even threatened me with that shitty sword of his!" Mas stammered, averting his eyes from meeting my captor's gaze.

"_I did no such thing you treacherous slime!" _I hissed at him, if she was doubting him now was my only chance of crumbling his credibility.  
Ujiza however, looked at me and snapped her fingers.

"Gag." She order holding out her hand and one of the other guards from the corner of my vision handed her a rag before she promptly forced my head up and tried the cloth around my mouth, forcing my jaw to stay open and muffling any noise I tried to make.  
With that she lifted my up from the ground off of my feet and slung me over her shoulder.

"Ever since Thrule kicked the bucket you've been-"He tried to say under his breath before Ujiza turned to him and struck the man across the face.

"Silence!" She commanded, never truly raising her voice above a cold snarl.

"You. Will. Not. Speak his name ever again, especially to anyone, are we clear?"

Mas looked terrified as a red welt started to form underneath his eye, he quickly nodded and turned his gaze away from her. Ujiza in response turned back and began her stride.

"You'll know if Swain is unsatisfied, Mas" She spoke, her voice was saturated with an ominous vibe that made me slightly pity even Mas if whoever Swain was came after him.

I struggled against the titan of a woman, trying to make her drop me, she in response set me down sitting against the wall; the last thing I saw was the hilt of my own sword before I was plunged into a world of darkness.

* * *

My eyes shot open only to find myself sitting by the side of the Shuriman roads, the morning sun reflecting off the golden structures, flooding the entire area with light.

I had fallen asleep again…  
I felt stiff and my mind was buzzing from the strange dream I had, yet I could barely remember it. Feeling my joints pop as I moved from my curled position I look up to the thousands of different strangers that strode by me.

Though most of them seemed to be merchants and nomads, I could see a couple of guards standing in a circle by the alleyway.  
My ears were greeted by the sound of a million footsteps, merchants calling out advertisements about their own shops, and the idle conversations of those who were close enough.  
Unsurprising to me, the glowing light each person emitted still hadn't faded away.  
The first time I saw this I was undoubtedly confused, rubbing my eyes to see if they were either playing tricks with me or going out.

Eventually though I had grown used to them, and a part of me even welcomed them.  
I felt the happiness as the "souls" of individuals danced and twirled within their own bodies and the despair of those whose energy was doing nothing more than remain motionless.  
When I closed my eyes I could see what looked like the mass of a million fireflies fluttering in their own individual paths.

This had been my life ever since I entered Shurima, I couldn't remember anything else before stumbling through the desert and coming across the beautiful city, its gates open to many wanderers.  
I wrapped my brown robes tighter around me as I looped my elbows around my knees, letting my eyes wander and drink in the spectacle.  
Occasionally a few glances were spared my way, but those were either of pity or irritation.  
I didn't need to see their auras to tell me what they were thinking.

It wasn't particularly well hidden that to many my skin tone wasn't exactly welcomed, it didn't bother me, no one truly advanced at me or threw insults, however it didn't make finding a residence any easier. Some part of me was frustrated about this fact but in the end they were only a small percentage of a much, much larger people.

Lost in my own thoughts, I found myself looking beyond the passersby and onto the small group of guards in the alley way.  
One's energy contorted in a worried expression, well what I could only have guessed was a worried expression, and the other however seemed irritated and was attempting to brush off the other.  
I could hear nothing of what they were saying and the rest of the group seemed to have nothing to do with what was happening between the two, this only piqued my interest even more.

I quickly got up from my spot against the wall, pulling my hood further down and walked through the channel of people.  
It was only when I gotten myself close enough and pushed the nearby merchants out of my mind could I hear the whispers.

"You're being ridiculous, I'm fine and there's nothing to worry about."

"But Aphra I'm not! Look at your arm! Whatever that rogue did to your shoulder it's still affecting you!"

I stole a glimpse from around the corner to see the two women leaning towards the wall and quietly arguing to each other.  
The other guards either couldn't hear them (which I highly doubted since from even where I was they were clear as day) or they were ignoring them.

"Saia, this has gone on for long enough, it's just sore and I'm tired of hearing any different." Interrupted one of the two that I guessed was Aphra.

I spared another look, scanning the two women, looking for what they were talking about.  
It didn't take me long to find that Aphra's arm was clutched to her side, her shoulder underneath the armor was wrapped in bandages.  
In my mind I could see that the light that usually flowed throughout the entire body was growing faint in her right arm, almost as if it were slowly withering away.  
Whatever happened to her most likely severed nearly all connection she had with it.  
Seeing this I felt a rush of energy flow through my hands as I then…well…

If you were to ask me why I decided to run into a group of armed guards and decide to grab onto one of them then I would dutifully answer:

"I don't have the faintest clue."

As if it were in slow motion I ran past the first couple of guards, neither of them having the time to react.  
I wrap the palms of my hands around her shoulder and passed the energy I had, into the wound.  
Like a chain reaction the other guards wielded their spears, Aphra yelled in pain, and Saia began pulling me away from her companion.  
I loosed my grip and the woman pull me away as the guard others pressed the tips of their spears to my throat.  
I closed my eyes half expecting them to push further and skewer me, but I heard a quick "Stop" and everyone backed away.

I opened my eyes again to Aphra glaring at me, the light was slowly but smoothly flowing through her right arm again as she used it to pull me forward and close to her face.

"Aphra, your arm!" I heard Saia exclaim from behind. Yet Aphra kept her eyes locked onto mine, her grip holding on like a vice.

"What's your name?" She asked, yet it never sounded like a question.

"Rexas…" I said, trying to keep together what little composure I had left.

"Well Rexas-what the hell did you just do?" She spoke, loosening her grip a little just enough so that we weren't an inch apart.

"I-I don't know."

The scenario froze and slowly turned into a gray blur as I cracked open my eyes, only to have the light almost blind me.  
My heart felt like it had just turned into ice, my throat was dry.  
I had almost forgotten what she looked like, the memory was like walking around in Shurima again, and getting to see her again.  
After that moment, she had me escorted to the closest magus and made me show what I could do.  
It wasn't long before I became a trained physician and was ready to take an oath to the city.

Healing the people of Shurima was the only thing that kept me from being picked up from the streets and either kicked back into the desert, or being thrown into the jails and eventually having to serve a life of manual labor.

When Aphra found out that I had almost nothing she without hesitation invited me into her own home.  
Of course she acted suspicious, I was still foreign to everything that made Shurima and its people, but over time she began to enjoy my company and I began to enjoy hers.  
It was only when Saia was killed did she hug me closer than anyone else.

The day she received the letter that she had lost one of her guards that she began to grow depressed, barely responding to anyone, during that time she smiled even less than usual.  
Seeing her like this I did the only thing that came to mind, which was to help and comfort her in any way I could.

It took many months but I eventually got her to begin to smile again and deliver her biting quips of sarcasm.  
Eventually it was decided that I would be moved to the infirmary for the sake of convenience, when Aphra got the news, she seemed almost sad.  
Yet, it never stopped her from coming up with excuses, either moving her patrol to area around the infirmary or personally escorting one of her injured subordinates to me.  
Most days I was unrelentingly busy, so seeing her soon became what I looked forward to when the afternoon rolled by.

I plunged out of my own thoughts as I felt myself be pushed forward causing my forehead to bump into something.  
My eyes were adjusted, the grey blur that hindered my vision had faded.  
A sudden pain formed across my forehead as my last moments of consciousness came back to me.  
The throbbing only worsened causing me to groan into my gag as I looked around my surroundings.  
I was sitting on top of a horse, my arms were still tied behind my back but it felt as if my bindings were also tied to the gullet of the saddle.  
In front of me sat one of the armored guards that surrounded us as Ujiza held me down.  
There were two other guards on either side of me and in the front of the line rode their leader, looking just as deadly from behind as she did when she was tackling you.  
We seemed to be in the middle of the woods, the city long gone.  
I had no clue on how long I had been out but I could see that the sun was newly risen as the sky was in a stage of ocean blue and coral.

I leaned away from the rider and straightened my back, feeling my spine pop as I did so.  
The person in front of me either must have my movement since they turned their neck to look at me and call out:

"He's awake." His voice echoing across the empty woods.  
Ujiza turned back to the two of us, her gaze now turning into a glare again.  
Already I could feel my anger sap back into my limbs, nulling the pain in my head somewhat.  
She forced her horse to turn round and trot back to my left.  
It was only then did I see my sword hanging by its handle on the saddle skirt.

I looked back up to Ujiza, whose gaze never shifted away from me.

"You woke up later than I expected, you can't much of a hit can you?" She sneered, taking her time to try and messing with me.  
I simply stared at her, relaxing my face as to not betray the amount of hatred I had for this woman.  
She only took that as a sign to continue.

"We will arrive at the city-state of Noxus, there we will take you to Swain who had sensed you enter Noxus ever since you have set foot here, and unregistered magic is a federal crime punishable by public maiming. However, he will ultimately decide what punishment you will receive."

I mumbled into my own rag loud enough for her to hear my muffled words.  
She glared at me before pulling the gag out of my mouth and spoke:

"What did you say cur?"

The moment I no longer had the dirty cloth between my teeth I sighed in relief with the removal of the discomfort.  
I cracked my jaw, purposefully ignoring the glaring woman.

"What. Did. You say cur?" She growled, reigning her horse closer to me.

"Oh I was simply mumbling to myself on how much of a raging bitch you ar-"I snapped before I felt a gauntleted fist punch me across the face.  
The pain was excruciating but I cracked a smile nonetheless.

"You really do have a way with words, so you are raging bitch as well as _fatuus, _I bet everyone back at home just _loves _you." I continued, throwing any caution I had to the wind as I felt another blow strike me across the face.

I began to chuckle now, I could already feel the bruise forming on the side of my head but I didn't care, Ujiza didn't seem to have the brains to realize that I had a gag around my neck.

"I see you enjoy trying to get a rise out of others but when shit is flung back at you it's nothing but silence and throwing punches, you must be a load of fun at parties." I again quipped only to have her pull my own sword from the saddle and have the flat of the blade smack against my spinal cord.  
I arched my back from the pain as it shot up my spine and to my neck. I however never wiped the grin from my face.

Ujiza seemed to have wizened as she pulled the rag around my throat back up between my teeth.

"You are lucky High General Swain is the one to decide your punishment." Ujiza growled as she kicked her horse to quicken its pace and resume her position in the front of the line.  
It was then I could feel the same sensation that usually swept over me when my prison was far enough away.  
It was a sort pull at my core, giving me the feeling that something was horribly wrong, it was the only reason I didn't chuck the damned thing when I was at the ruins.

"You should thank the gods that she only struck you. I've seen her break the arms of those who were foolish enough to even flash her a defiant eye. You're lucky Swain wants you alive and unharmed… mostly." The rider in front of me whispered behind him, yet never bothered to look back at me.  
I merely rolled my eyes to the man's warning, I had suffered thousands of years of torment, and there was nothing _she_ could do to frighten me, not anymore.  
Silence fell between the entire squadron and would not be broken until many hours later.

* * *

The time ticked by slowly as the group continued to pace forward towards wherever it was we were headed.  
I lazily stared up to the sky, my bindings restraining from much else.  
No one spoke a word, there was no friendly chatter with one other, not under her watch.

Creatures of the woods scurried away as if we were a ferocious monster on the hunt.  
I saw the tail ends or deer, rabbits and even some sort of animal that was made entirely of rock.  
Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw a person made of moss and wood peek out from behind the tree before disappearing without a trace.

The sun was beginning its descent by the time the asphyxiating silence was broken.  
From the trees formed a thick fog, making it impossible to see five feet ahead.  
None of the guards seemed to be too phased by the mist but drew closer together making sure that no one vanished from sight.  
In the front Ujiza's horse jumped up onto its hind legs and neighed, refusing to move forward.

"Idiot horse! Behave yourself!" she commanded, forcing the steed to still itself, before she gazed off into the mist.

It was then I felt it, a horrible dread trickled down my spine and I could feel the temperature drop, causing my skin to crawl.  
From out of the mist stepped a darkened figure, their body was covered in black armor, a plume of blackened feather stuck out from the top of their helmet.  
The body of the ghostly woman itself was a dark blue that casted an eerie light into the fog.  
Her eyes were pupiless emerald lights and what seemed to be three blue transparent spears were penetrated through her abdomen.

"Ujiza, you have been unpunished for your crimes of betrayal, it is time to face your justice." The phantom echoed, her voice void of any emotion.  
I couldn't see Ujiza's face but telling from her aura she was terrified.

Something caught my eye about the apparition, besides her stood a faint armored figure, their eyes were similar to the woman he was standing next to.  
I could barely see his face but from what I could recognize was sheer outrage.

"Protect!" Ujiza cried as she repositioned herself along the back row while one guard from either side of me rode forward grabbing their crossbows from their backs and fire two bolts at the phantom.

In the blink of an eye the woman dodged the bolts with ease, while in mid hop, pulled a spear from her midriff and flung it towards one of her attacks.  
The projectile hit its target's chest with deadly precision making them fall to the ground like a lifeless ragdoll.  
The phantom gestured her hand as if she were pulling something causing the fallen soldier to jerk forward, a sicken tear of flesh sounded as the spear was pulled out of its victim's body and back into its mistress' hand.

The second guard never had a chance to even react as they too were pierced through the heart by the spectral spears, the aura of their life being snuffed out in an instant.  
The second line of attackers charged forward towards the huntress weapons drawn, unfortunately that included me.  
I struggled frantically against my bindings the soldier in front of me gave out a yell as he withdrew his sword and sped forward to certain death.

Again, I felt the tug from the sword pull at my core.  
I tried to focus on the feeling, blocking out the screams of terror only to be interrupted by my guard's yell being cut short.  
I opened my eyes to see a spear jutting out from his back, the tip only stopping a couple of inches from my chest.  
The man slumped over and slid off the saddle.

Terrified, I leaned backwards away from the speeding horse who was still charging towards the spectral woman, I felt the rope slip from the gullet of the saddle as I tipped backwards and fall towards the ground.  
My back collided with the earth, pain crackled through me.  
Blinking away the darkness that was forming on the edges of my vision, I could see that I had landed only a couple yards away from the huntress.  
Her soulless eyes were staring at mine, spear ready in hand.  
Absolute terror coursed through my veins, I closed my eyes blocking out the world and focused on the tug of my sword as I counted my last breaths.

In that moment I felt my body shift, I was being pulled away from the assassin and my body was forced into position.  
Before I could even register what happened I found myself sitting behind Ujiza.  
I wasted no time in asking questions, swinging my leg over the saddle, I slammed the commander in the shoulder and kicking the woman off balance.

I then bent my spine, my tied fingers grasping desperately for purchase.  
Once I could feel my weapon, I grabbed around the handle and swung my body forward, sliding the blade out of its sheathe and flinging myself off the horse.  
I again met the earth with a painful impact but ignored it as I sat up and held the edge of the blade against my bindings, quickly the rubbing the two against each other.

I paid no attention to the situation around me, the dying screams and the sickening sound of tearing flesh was more than enough.  
Once my sword had cut through enough of the rope, I pulled my arms apart, tearing the remaining fibers and freeing my hands.

I hastily pulled the gag out of my mouth and jump to my feet, sword in hand and ready to fight my way out of here.  
But the road was now quiet, the agonized screams were silenced and motionless bodies were strewn across the ground.  
The phantom woman stood motionless, its gaze focused on Ujiza who placed herself across from her opponent.  
She had a sword pointed towards the assassin, she was glaring daggers and her face was pulled into a snarl.  
A fight was inevitable between the two.

I felt my rage burn in my heart, so this was the kind of leader she was.  
She let her subordinates be trampled under the foot of the enemy, only lining herself up when the last possible option was gone.  
She was a coward, and she deserved whatever justice the phantom had planned.

I felt a pulse in my hand, it was almost like a little heartbeat.  
Unsure, I slowly reached out my hand and wrapped my fingers around an invisible object, the source of the pulse.  
I tightened my grip and yanked it towards me.  
Ujiza's face drained of all its color, she dropped her sword and clutched both arms to her chest as if she were having a heart attack, before falling to her knees in a fit of coughs.

The Phantom approached forward gripping her spear and readying for a final blow.  
I stumbled forward placing out my palm, gesturing for her to stop.  
She and her armored companion both glared at me but ceased their pursuit nonetheless.  
I crouched down to keep eye level with Ujiza.

"How does it feel? Kneeling down hopelessly as your death creeps closer and closer. Do you feel dread? Fear? Are you thinking over every mistake you've ever made or are you now thinking about the ones you love in your last moments?" I asked, staring into her enraged gaze.

"Let me give you a little nugget of advice, think of it as a parting gift."  
I leaned in close to her ear.

"None of them will miss you… and you should pray you'll only be forgotten."

I sat in front of her again, letting a smile spread across my lips.  
I placed a hand on her shoulder as I dropped my voice.

"Now, one last question Ujiza. Can you tell me where the Institute of War is?"

"I will gladly see you in hell first, cur." She finally spoke up, spitting at me.  
I sighed and removed my hand from her shoulder, slowly getting back up onto my feet.

"Suit yourself."" I whispered as I turned back to the phantom.

"All yours." Walking past the two figures I made my way to the massacre of bodies, ignoring the screams that echoed throughout the forest.

* * *

It wasn't long before I had scoured through the armor and satchels of the dead before I found various maps of Noxus and Valoran all together.

In my searchings I actually found the travel bag that the Sheinchoungs gave me.  
Sliding my foot into the hold of the saddle, I felt a piercing gaze focused on me.  
Turning my neck, I see the soulless eyes of the woman analyzing me.

It was only then did I noticed that the man who was stood next to her had disappeared and her aura glowed and swirled like that of a thousand souls, I could feel the chills creep up my spine once again.

"We sense the betrayal in your past, Inumbris, if you wish for our service you must only speak our name." She said, a hundred different voices echoed underneath her own.  
With that she backed away from me, allowing the darkened mist to surround her before it all vanished without a trace.

Ice flowed through my heart and my hairs stood on end as I climbed onto the stallion and began my journey out of Noxus, the stories of Kalista: The Spear of Vengeance, now plaguing my mind again.


	4. Chapter 4: The Summoner

The world rushed by as I could hear the quiet roar of the mechanisms within the train working in unison. It had been two days since the incident with Kalista.  
I rode the stolen horse, following the maps of Noxus I had gathered until I reached a town located by what were labelled as: **the train system**.  
One could imagine my astonishment seeing a metal monstrosity roar down the tracks, steam hissing from its pipe.  
The conductor was surprisingly acceptive of the sword strapped to my back when I presented my ticket to him.  
He said that it was a common sight nowadays to see travelers carrying weapons ever since the Institute of War was established.  
However, I still unstrapped my weapon and packed it away along with my travel bag per the conductor's request.

As I sat by myself in the train compartment the agonized screams of those she killed still rang inside my mind as well as her words.

**_We sense the betrayal within your past, Inumbris…_**

Even in Shurima there were tales of a ghostly spectre that roamed throughout Runeterra, coming to those that were met with betrayal.

If you had enemies, you would pray that they would be merciful and never call upon The Spear of Vengeance.  
However for the price of "justice" would mean the ultimate price: your soul.  
Until recently thatʻs all she was: a story, a fairytale that parentʻs would tell their children to scare them.  
I now knew differently.

How did she know my name?My Past?  
But the one question that burned itself into my mind:

Would I take her service?

It was true that I felt a burning rage towards Azir, he was the sole reason why I was traveling to the Institute of War in the first place.  
However, it was the flash of Kalista's spears piercing through the unknowing soldiers that made me hesitate in even considering the notion in the first place.  
Even for what he had done to me, the thought of their souls being snuffed out in the blink of an eye brought up the taste of bile in my mouth.  
There was even a part of me that regretted of doing whatever I did to Ujiza, condemning her to sit on her knees while her executioner prepared the axe.

Did she truly deserve her "justice" for what she did? I would never know.

I pressed my hand against the glass of the train window, allowing the warmth from the sun seep into my skin.  
I sat back in my seat, it had been a couple of hours since the train pulled out of the town station and I was beginning to feel anxious.  
The sun was now below the horizon and the night sky was starting to make its presence.  
I remained motionless trying to make myself ignorant of the passage of time, but I ultimately caved in and pulled the door of my compartment.

I looked into the hall, its activity had died down than what it was a couple hours previously.  
I looked to the ceiling of the hallway, as a replacement of the sun's rays the train ignited these sort of crystals that floated within its chamber, casting a fluorescent glow throughout the room; hextech I believe is what they called them.

I stepped out from the doorway and looked to either end of the hall, not a soul was in sight but their lives hummed in the back of my thoughts.  
The train wasn't due to stop for another three hours so I began to wander up and down the dormant halls.  
No matter how far I seemed to have walked it was the exact same windows to my left, looking out into the pitch black of night and the riders' compartments all of them having their curtains pulled down for privacy.

I was beginning to feel sick, not just from being away from my prison but that I was beginning to feel was if I was trapped again.  
Being confined to a small strip of area while having to wait as the time ticked by was all too familiar and I hated it.

I was about to turn back and head to my room when one of the doors slid open and a random stranger covered in robes stepped into the hall.  
They then turned to my direction and noticed me, the acted slightly taken aback before walking towards me and dropping down their hood.  
It was a woman, she looked of a tan complexion, and her auburn hair flowed down to her making me wonder how she fit that much hair into her hood as she stared me with her shockingly blue eyes.  
She stood a little shorter than I was the top of her head reaching to about my eyes.  
The woman smiled up at me.

"I was beginning to think that I was the only one on this train, my name is Evangeline Raptis." She said in a rather light and cheerful tone as she extended a hand.  
I took it before uttering my name in a hushed whisper.

"Inumbris."

She looked at me with an inquisitive look, her eyes quickly scanning over me and stopping shortly at my scar before locking her eyes back onto mine.  
I tugged my travel cloak over my scar slightly, the feeling of sickness worsening slightly.

"Inumbris? Well it's a pleasure to meet you." She beamed slightly, looking at me face and probably seeing the discomfort I had from being far enough away from my blade.

"Oh, sorry am I making you uncomfortable? I know kind of talk a lot and it sort of overwhelms p-"She apologized before I quickly shook my head and spoke.

"No, it's not you, I'm just… I can't really handle trains all that well, I never had since I was little." Well at least the first part was true.  
Evangeline, hearing this, quickly regained her cheerful and began speaking again.

"Me too! I can never really sit myself and just wait or pass the time, I get sort of restless you know?" She leaned against her compartment door, never breaking eye contact with me.

"Well, at least that's something we share in common." I chuckled slightly, it had been a while since I last met someone so lighthearted besides Agrass and even he was dealing with issues of his own.  
Even her aura was peppy and upbeat throughout, it was nice to see.

"So what brings you out of Noxus?" She asked.  
I searched through my thoughts, trying to figure out what to say.

**_Should I lie? She doesn't seem to be a Noxian or anyone who might try to bring me in._**

I had finally figure out a story when she spoke up, her eyes looking at me as if she had read my mind.

"Oh! Are you heading towards The Institute?" I was befuddled, my story disintegrating as I threw whatever caution I had to the wind and spoke the truth.

"Yes, actually I am, are you heading there as well?"

She stood herself up a little straighter, adjusting her robes so that it looked a little more in order.

"Why yes indeed, I'm a gold division summoner in fact."

I was silent, a summoner? A summoner of what exactly? What was the gold division?  
More questions about The Institute of War and The League of Legends grew along with my confusion.  
She must have read my face again as she immediately spoke up again.

"Do you know much about the league?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and gazing at me with the same inquisitive look.

"Ummm… No." I answered rather sheepishly, I could feel the embarrassment begin to well inside.  
I hadn't learned anything about the league or the fact of what were summoners, I planned to learn once I got there but I was slightly ashamed all the same.

"Well first off, what business do you have there? Do you plan on becoming a summer? Or maybe even a champion!?" She berated me with questions.

"The latter, I believe."

She got up from the door and pulled it open, gesturing for me to join her. I quietly abided, stepping into the small compartment and taking a seat on the left. She closed the sliding door and pulled the shade down, ensuring that no one could look into our conversation.  
She then took the seat opposite from me, and crossed her arms.

"Why do you want to join the league?" She started off.  
In my mind a flurry of thoughts spun forth, all of them equally true. I wanted a goal, I wanted revenge, but most of all I wanted-

"Answers, I want answers"

She nodded, her blue eyes examining me like as if she were interviewing a potential employee or suspect, I couldn't quite tell.

"Where do you come from?" Again, she asked all the difficult questions.

I sat there, allowing the silence to drop back into the room, I ultimately deemed that lying at this point would get me nowhere with her.

"I come from Shurima." It was my turn to analyze her, her face shifted slightly into an expression of doubt, her soul shifting as if she were trying to answer her own question.

"You don't look Shuriman." Was what she said at after a minute or so.

"You'd be surprised."

Again she grew silent, she herself moved in her seat before asking the next inquiry.

"Are you sure you're willing to accept what it means to be a champion?"

This caught me off guard, I gathered from the contract itself that being a champion meant that you and the other members of your team were pitted against another group in order to solve political disagreements, but surely there are restrictions within the battle…aren't there?

"I-I don't particularly know what that means _entirely_." I admitted, the feeling of embarrassment welling inside of me again.

The look in her eyes almost seemed as if she were pitying me.  
She leaned forward putting her elbows to her knees, leaning her face close to mine.  
Any cheerful she had in her expression was now gone.

"What we expect of you, if you do actually get through the League Judgment, is that you are willing to kill and die for your team of that you choose. The team you fight for wants you to tear through your enemies without mercy, their deaths granting you power in the battlefield and they will show you the same kindness if you even for a second flinch. This is the life you'd be signing yourself into, now think do you truly want to commit to that?"

I was terrified, sickened, but most of all depressed; because despite all that she had said I was still willing to commit myself into a slaughterhouse of violence and death just to answer one simple question: _Why?_  
I sat there thinking through what my life was then and what my life was now.  
In my mind I pushed away the mixed screams of agony from the guards and myself all the while the feeling of absolute dread deadlocked its grip around me.  
My heart thumped inside of my eardrums as I closed my eyes and tried to wave away the world around.  
I began to feel nauseous as the world I tried to push away only came back with an overwhelming force, the walls of the train collapsed in on itself crushing me in between its metal plates.

"-Inumbris" I heard Evangeline call out, snapping me out of my episode as I opened my eyes and focused my vision back onto her.

"S-sorry I was just…" I stumbled over my words as I tried to regain my composure.

"I-I just really c-can't handle trains."

It was becoming apparent to the both of that my lie was as transparent as the window that looked out into the night sky, I simply took a shaky breath and leaned back into my seat trying to calm myself once more.

"Yes, I am willing to accept that life." I was lost but now my goal was plainly within my sights and if I were to fade away in death in the process then it wouldn't be any worse than the condition I was in now.  
Evangeline only nodded as she too leaned back away, averting her gaze from mine.  
It was a couple of minutes before we spoke again.

"You're going to need to register yourself as an applicant for the league, I'm willing to help you through that." She said, the pep was beginning to bleed back into her tone.

"I don't know how to thank you…"

She stared at me with a sort of apologetic look in her eyes.

"Please, don't be grateful."

* * *

After our conversation she snapped back into her cheerful self and asked me if I had any more questions about the league and The Institute of War, for which I had many. She happily answered all of them allowing me to get a vague idea of how the "matches" worked.  
There were three locations within valoran (besides the institute itself) that were controlled by the league, within these locations death was temporary.  
If any champion within that match was killed, in the moment of their death their life force was plucked away and stored until they later revived, their bodies were as if nothing had happened, "anchored" was what she called it.  
When I asked how they managed to accomplish that she only replied with:

"With a fair bit of luck and a touch of magic."

She then explained how the ultimate goal for each team was to infiltrate the enemy base and destroyed the power source that kept their summonersʻ connection functioning; the "Nexus."  
After what seemed like only a few short minutes of listening to her we both were startled by the shrill whistle of the train.

"Well, I think that means we're only a couples of minutes away from the institute." She announced, ending her explanation.  
I tried to continue hurling questions at her about how the league matches worked but she only chuckled and replied:

"I'll explain the rest _if _you get past the league judgement." Before getting up and opening the compartment door for me.

"Once we stop, could you show me the way towards the institute, Evangeline?" I asked as I made my way towards the door.  
She smiled warmly at me.

"But of course."

* * *

I could feel my muscles relax as I strapped my sword to my back and slung my travel bag over my shoulder again, ignoring the irony of the situation.  
I stepped out from my compartment, waiting as the train eventually slow down and come to a stop at my final destination.

I was stood outside on the platform of the station waiting for Evangeline, I felt a tap against my shoulder only to see the woman in question.  
Together we strolled on the cobblestone path that lead through a quiet small town around us.  
We passed by a few couple people who spared us a few glances, they were mostly towards Evangeline who seemed to be almost like she was at home.  
I looked up to one of the street lights and to my surprise I saw they were almost the same as the ones on the train.  
This time however they casted a bright white light that glowed throughout the street.

The buildings themselves while humble at best were made up of masterfully carved stone.  
The glazed windows threw our reflections back at us as we passed them by.  
It was pleasantly quiet and even the static that usually tugged at the back of my mind seemed to be a little more passive.

"Is it usually this quiet?" I asked, turning to Evangeline.

"It's not uncommon during this time of the year, not too much traffic, not to little." She shrugged, the silence of the town making no impression.  
I decided it was probably best to keep it this way as the two of us slowly walked across the cobblestone path, a small breath of wind sending cold chills through me.  
It seemed like for what felt like an hour before we left the stone buildings and hextech lights and entered a thick forest, blocking any light from the moon.  
It looked as if a blanket had been thrown across us as we were greeted with pitch black.

**_Ignis _**a voice whispered in the dark as I saw a flame erupt from Evangeline's hand casting a bright enough glow for us to stay on the path.

"You can control the elements?"

"Well, when we're first being trained as summoners within the league, we're also taught simple spells that we can use in matches." She replied, the light from the flame made her face almost ethereal, but I already knew now that this was far from the case.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on their ends as I felt curious eyes gaze at the two of us from the darkness.  
The buzzing in my mind returned with a vengeance, making me long for the silence again.  
Evangeline glanced at me, despite the faint smile across her face her eyes were again scrutinizing, trying to scavenge any clues from me.  
I sighed, if I were to work or even accept help from this woman lies were probably not the best foundation to build upon.

"About what I said of the train, half of it was true. I couldn't handle it very well but I had never seen of a train before today. I realize that there's a lot I haven't told you but besides that I have been truthful, all I ask is that…instead of quietly examining me like a hawk, you can just ask." I spoke.

She was silent at first but with time she said:

"If you get past the league judgement I'll hold you to that."

With that we both allowed the silence to overtake the surrounding area, Evangeline held out the flame, leading slightly ahead of me as I complacently followed.  
I allowed my mind to take in the static from the forest, but in truth it was almost sound like the wind rather than white noise.  
While I couldn't see the aura from the trees with my eyes, I could feel their ancient powerful flow of energy as the small creatures of the wilds either scurried below them or held onto them as a support.

"We're here."

I was snapped out of my "thoughts" to see Evangeline snuff out the flames from her hand as a bluish glow was cast upon us.  
Before us was an enormous flight of stairs that was split in half by a glowing stream of water that was flowing _uphill.  
_At the top was what looked to be a Parthenon lined with two columns inscribed with an edged circle, inside was the head of a panther, its mouth open in a roar. Suspended in the air above the columns were giant blue crystals, the light they glowed almost seemed to power the lines that were etched around the edges of the building itself.  
The rest of the structure was blocked from view by the trees of the forest.  
Evangeline then stopped and turned to me and stepped closer.

"Stay close, at least until we get to the top." She whispered, motioning that we were to walk together.  
I complied and stepped in sync with my companion as we strode to the flight of stairs; the moment I laid my foot against the hard stone step I felt an electric current flow through my body.  
I froze for a second-mid step, but just as it suddenly happened the feeling dissipated as well.  
I continued my climb shrugging off what I felt, I glanced at Evangeline trying to grasp an answer for what happened.  
She ignored me and continued her climb, prompting me to stick close.

Once we reached to the top she motioned for me to stop right as we were confronted by two men walking down the steps both were equipped with plain spears and shields, though they seemed to be built more for intimidation rather than actual use.

"Summoner Raptis, pleasure to see that you're back; who is this you've brought in?" One of the two asked.  
Evangeline then stepped forward ahead of me and announced:

"He is a potential new champion of the league. I am willing to go through the process of application as long as you can provide my friend with accommodation for the night."

The other guard chuckled as he stepped down, putting himself onto the same step she was.

"Oh so serious and not even a hello? Just straight down to business, it really strikes me right here when you do that." He said pointing to an armored chestplate.  
I saw Evangeline crack a smile as she punched the stranger in the shoulder.

"It's nice to see you Doofus."

The guard rubbed his shoulder from the punch.

"Nice to see you too, Gelly." He dropped his hand from his shoulder as he nodded towards me.

"New guy huh?"

She nodded, turning to me and locking her eyes onto mine.

"Inumbris, this is my idiot of a brother, Idiot of a brother, this is Inumbris."

The man cracked the same smile as he reached his hand out in a friendly manner.

"What she really means is that I'm Avilius, nice to meet you." I took his hand and shook it, rather awkwardly as I felt like that one person who wasn't in on a joke. Avilius gestured towards the guard behind him.

"And that's Pascual; life of the party." He joked as his partner nodded his head silently and respectfully.

"Avilius, if you ever be so kind as to interrupt your busy, busy schedule, I would you like to show Inumbris where he can stay for the night." Evangeline spoke, cutting short the awkward silence that threatened to fall.

"Oh sure sis, let _me _do all the work." He cracked, awarding him another punch to the shoulder.

"This way Inumbris." He continued as he began to trek up another flight of stairs.  
I looked towards Evangeline, silently asking: what now?

"I'll contact you in the morning, by then I should have a council ready." She explained.

"Won't take that much time, not many apply to be a champion, them's the special kind of people, or ghosts, or terrifying monstrosities of the void." Avilius called out. Without a word I followed him up the steps and into the pantheon.

I was soon lost within the many corridors that the Avilius and myself roamed through.  
Most of the walls with the halls had only doors with a small banner beside each one that gave the owner of the room's name, or what it was used for.

**_Summoner Jason Refta, Platinum Division, Head of Match Security._**

**_Summoner Jay Badger, Silver Division, Champion Councilor._**

_**Joseph Delima, Unranked, Overwatch of Crystal Scar.**_

**_Summoner Eric Petre, Bronze Division, Head of Janitorial System._**

The sheer vastness of the entire structure left me completely silent, my eyes greedily scanning every detail I could find.

"Pretty cool huh? I had the exact same reaction stepping in here for the first time, I think everyone does." My guide spoke, twisting his head to look towards me.  
I nodded, keeping myself silent and my face emotionless.

"It's okay, I don't bite." He chuckled, tapping the bottom of his spear against the floor, which began to look flimsier the longer I stared.

"What did I feel back at the entrance?" I inquired, finally deciding to break my silence.  
Avilius chuckled yet again.

"Ohhh that, that was the security check, it's supposed to work as a sort of field that zaps intruders or in some cases when we have a renegade champion like Kog'maw, the cheeky bugger."

I lifted an eyebrow, allowing my confusion to be apparent.

"Zaps?"

"Well when I say zap I mean it electrocutes you, either sending you flying or disintegrating you into itty bitty little dust particles."

"Oh…"

Avilius let out boisterous laugh, as we turned round another corner that held a banner saying: **_Applying Champions Living Area. _**

"That's the reason why Gelly said to stay close, and why _this_-"He said shaking the spear back and forth so that it wobbled.

"Is so pathetic; it's not really necessary and people like Pascual and myself take turns standing guard and look intimidating." He then held out the shield to me, motioning me to hold it.  
I wrapped my arm around the handle, only to have almost dropped it to the floor.

"But the shield is the real deal though, based it off the Randuin's Omen since this is essentially our only line of defense against an irritated champion."

I hefted the heavy piece of metal and passed it back to Avilius, who seemed to carry it with ease.

"You make it seem as if it's a common thing." I quipped as we stopped in front of another wooden door that was labelled: **34**.

"Oh it is." He replied light-heartedly. Vilius then pushed open the door and walked in, I swiftly followed after him.  
The room was dark and only the faint glimmer of the moon lit the dreary place.  
The man strode over to a dimly lit desk and ruffled through one of the drawers until he pulled out what looked like a mechanical jar; the top and bottom were metal casings that were latched around a hextech crystal.  
Avilius tapped the top and the jewl flickered to life, casting a subtle warm light across the room.  
He handed it to me before picking up his shield and spear before walking to the door and turning to me.

"So this is your room until your either pass or fail league judgement, and given our number of people applying, we'll give you a call in the morning." He explained as I nodded my thanks and turned away, placing the lantern on the bed before I slung off my travel bag.

"Inumbris…"

I looked back to see Avilius leaning against the doorframe, his smile was replaced with a warm grin.

"It'll all be fine, I'm pretty sure Gelly wouldn't have even allowed you inside if she didn't think you could handle yourself." He said, flashing me a reassuring look.  
Again, I felt awkward as I looked into the man's eyes I uttered a quiet whisper of gratitude.  
Nothing else was said as he closed the door and left me to my own devices.

With the room now illuminated I could see that the room was fairly simple.  
It had an average sized bed shoved into the corner while directly next to it was a dresser that was empty, taking advantage of it I threw my travel bag inside of it.  
I walked over to the glazed window and looked outside, where ever I was in the Institute it was somewhere higher than the tree line because I could see the twinkling stars in the night sky that were only outshone by the half moon.

The trees below me waved in the cool breeze, rustling as their branch and leaves clashed into one another before stilling themselves again.  
I twisted my neck and looked at the bed, a knot began to form in my stomach as the upcoming events that tomorrow had loomed over my head.  
I shook the thoughts of unease from my mind as I turned back to the window and began to pry it open.

Luckily for me the window slid open easily, allowing me to stick out and looked up to see that the roof for this particular section of the building wasn't much higher from where I was.  
I wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight, it wasn't like I needed to anymore but most of all sleeping brought somethings I rather not see again.

I sat up onto the desk and pushed myself more and more out the window until the handle of my blade caught against the pane.  
Breathing out my frustration I leaned myself slightly lower and get my abdomen out of the building.  
With my goal within reach, I stood myself up and latched my fingers onto the roof.  
I then used whatever strength I had in my arms to pull the rest of my body out from the window.

"Donʻt fall...donʻt fall...donʻt fall..." I puffed while scrambling to get a better hold, I pressed my shoes against the wall and used it as support until I finally managed to roll my body over the edge and onto the slanted covering.  
I gasped in the air as I crawled up and got to a safe enough area.

Craning my neck I could see that the structure was much, _much _higher than what I thought originally. It loomed hundreds of feet above until it was topped off by a lone tower.

I slipped the blade off my back and laid it next to me as I relaxed against the hard surface and stared up to the stars.  
There wasn't much I could do to prepare for tomorrow but for now, maybe just maybe I could gaze at the night sky and forget, just for a little bit.

Authorʻs Notes: Well this officially ends all the chapters that I had pre-written. Iʻll work my best on getting new chapters out on a weekly basis but I canʻt truly make a stable promise.  
So, as always, stay wonderful and have a fantastic day.


	5. Chapter 5: The Judgement

"How did you know?" Avilius asked as I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.  
Once the sun was beginning its morning ascent I climbed back into my room and waited at the door until I felt him on the other side.  
The poor guy almost had a heart attack as I opened the door while mid knock.

"You don't exactly have the lightest of footsteps, Avilius." I half lied, even without feeling his presence I could still hear his metal armor clank down the hall.  
The man quickly snapped out of his shocked state and cracked his usual grin.

"I was always called the family rooster, the entire house shook when I woke up in the morning."

"I bet Evangeline loved you for that." I quipped.

"Oh she did, she trained me how to ignore pain in the back of my head as a little thank you present."

A small smile formed across my lips at the notion of Evangeline beating Avilius senseless, even though he practically towered over her by a foot.

"How is your shoulder by the way?"

The young man shrugged only to clutch his hand to his shoulder and whisper: "ow, ow, ow."

"Bit of a bruise but nothing I can't handle." He said, wiping off the grimace that was across his face.  
I placed my hand on his shoulder and quickly imparted a little of my energy to him, just enough to make the pain fade away.

"Well, I hope it heals soon." I spoke, trying to justify my action without arousing suspicion.  
Taking back my hand, I gestured to the hall.

"Lead the way."

Avilius nodded as the rotated his shoulder, his face betraying the confusion he had for the lack of pain.

"Did yo-never mind. Well, Inumbris let's head out."

* * *

It didn't take us long to go through the winding halls and eventually stop in front of two large wooden doors.

"Gelly's waiting inside, she'll talk to you about what's going to happen." He said, leaning backwards and pushing the large wooden door open, just a crack.  
Avilius flashed me his usual warm smile and gaze me a reassuring pat on the back as I stepped closer to the opening.

"Thanks Avilius, and if I don't pass the judgement I just want to say that I'm really glad I met you and your sister." I nodded respectfully and then squeezed myself through the small passage.  
Almost immediately as soon I had gotten to the other side the doors behind me shut closed, throwing a blanket of darkness upon me.  
Even without the light I could still sense what felt like a hundred souls in the room, all of them seemed to be either on the edge of their seat or sitting calmly as the show began to roll forward.

_**Challenger Inumbris, step forward.  
**_

A voice rang throughout the room, it sounded familiar but the voice itself was somewhat distorted.  
Complying, I walked forward through the dark, reaching out my hands to try and feel where I was.  
I could hear the familiar sound of sand crunching underneath my feet.  
In an instant, the darkness was obliterated by a beam of sunlight from the top of the room.  
I held out a hand to block the blinding glow as I looked upwards to find that the source of light was a ball of magical energy.

The sphere crackled with power as it casted a warm light throughout the area.  
Where I stood showed that I stood in the center of a large stadium of some sort, elevated platforms loomed above me as a hundred pairs of eyes peered down to me.

I was surrounded by an unfathomable number of individuals, all of which stood out with their own.  
There were armored soldier, cloaked assassins, powerful mages, and even terrifying monstrosities among the ranks of the audience.  
Before I had the time to even piece together what was happening the same voice boomed throughout the stadium again.

_**Inumbris, you have decided to join The League of Legends, you have discussed what is expected of you with a legitimate summoner. Do you still wish to join?  
**_  
The voiced paused, waiting for my response.  
I choked down my nervousness and cleared my throat before giving my answer.

"Y-yes! My goal remains the same and I believe with The League I can accomplish it."

To my surprise, my voice was intensified so that it echoed into the audience, my apprehension was apparent.  
It was a couple of seconds before the voice gave its next statement.

_**Very well…Inumbris before you are accepted into The League you must prove you strengths.**_ _**How do you wish to demonstrate them?**_

I was befuddled, I had no way of showing anything, unless someone was injured but being able to heal someone was barely even a demonstration of impressive power.  
Reaching behind me, I grabbed the hilt of my prison and draw it out of its scabbard.

"I wish to prove myself in a duel." I spoke out to the stadium, waiting desperately for the announcer's response.

_**We accept your proposal, as a matter of fact we already have your opponent chosen.  
**_  
In that moment the stadium was flooded with a blue light as a pillar of energy beamed down a couple of feet away from me.  
Almost as soon as it had manifested the light disappeared and in its place stood a woman that just from looks alone told me I was in trouble.  
She stood tall, swiping her black and red hair aside to glare at me.  
My opponent was dressed in slim silver and gold armor at the shoulders and legs while the rest of her body was covered by a black leather jump suit.  
In her hands she wielded a rapier, its blade glinted wickedly as she twirled the weapon in her hands with expert ease.

I've made a terrible mistake.

"I came here looking for a challenge, is this the best these fools can offer me?" She sneered, I barely understood a word she said underneath the foreign accent.

_**Fiora The Grand Duelist, you are held to the agreements of the League, meaning that this battle will not be lethal. The first person to incapacitate the other will be the victor.  
**_  
I could already feel the dread sink into my chest as Fiora readied herself, rapier at the ready.

_**Inumbris, are you ready?  
**_  
I nodded slowly, readying my sword and steeling my nerves for the threat that stood in front of me.

_**Fiora, are you ready?**_

The Grand Duelist only scoffed as she shifted her feet and locked her glare onto me.

"What do you think?"

I never realized how two syllables could have given me a surge of panic and anxiousness that I hadn't felt in many years.

_**Begin.**_

Almost immediately after the announcer spoke Fiora began her assault.  
She surged forward, blade poised to stab into my shoulder as I side stepped her and tried to get in a counter attack.  
She completely predicted my moves as she brought her sword to mine, effectively stopping it dead before she grabbed behind her back a brought out a short-sword.  
She slashed it upwards before I could even react as it cut across my cheek.

I hissed I pain as I jumped away from my opponent, trying to create some distance between the two of us.

"I'm always one step ahead, try to keep up." Fiora jeered.

I reached up to my face and felt the slash across my cheek, touching the wound I looked at my finger expecting blood, only to find what was smeared across my fingers was soot.

My throat felt dry, a million questions flooded through my mind but I quickly shoved them away as I focused back onto my opponent.  
With the distance between I attempted to divert my focus into retrying what I had done with Ujiza, feeling the heartbeat pulse in my arm.  
In response the Grand Duelist launched herself forward and swung her sword across my forearm.  
Her blade cut into my skin as it sliced from my elbow to my wrist while she aimed a blow to my shoulder with her smaller blade.

I yelled, my arm felt like it was filled with glass as the pain began to shoot from up my hand to my shoulder.  
I took my sword and used it to knock away her knife as I aimed a blow to the woman's stomach with my wounded arm.  
My fist hit its mark, I could hear Fiora gasp as the wind was knocked from her lungs.  
Wasting no time I used my shoulder to knock her backwards as I swiped her feet from under her.

She landed onto the dust covered flooring, but even so she reacted with terrifying speed.  
Fiora rolled sideways and flung a handful of the sand into my eyes, effectively blinding me.

My eyes instinctively closed, plunging me back into darkness.  
Stumbling backwards, I could hear my opponent already getting back up to her feet, in the next couple of seconds the duel would be over.

With my vision gone I could only rely on my hearing, the images of the audience's souls looking down upon as either a disappointment or confirming their belief that I was a weakling.

Then it struck me, I quickly closed off everyone from my mind, snuffing out each and every light until there was only one left.  
My opponent stood out like a beacon in the dark, her soul glowed as I could see her set up another attack.

Each move she made caused part of her body to ignite and shine brighter as the energy poured throughout her limbs.  
Her aura lit up as I could see Fiora begin to lunge forward.  
Time slowed, I was still outclassed but her aura betrayed her actions enough so that we were on equal footing for once.  
I dodged her blade while bringing up my empty hand to grab onto her arm and swing my sword against her wrist.  
Even though the blade bounced harmlessly off the silver armor it still created a large enough impact that made the Grand Duelist release her rapier.

I blindly kick way the fallen weapon, stabbing my sword forward towards her abdomen.  
She rolled back, re-positioning the short-sword in her hand.  
I stepped between where I guessed the sword had landed and Fiora, gripping the hilt of my prison.

"Didn't you say you were one step ahead? Go on, fool me." I growled.

The woman shot forward, her shoulder and arm lighting up as she aimed her short-sword to my shoulder.  
I brushed my hand up her arm and grabbed onto her wrist, stopping it in its tracks.

"Too slow!"

Again, she anticipated my counter, swiftly bringing her fingers to my throat and striking my wind pipe.  
I bent over, my body was wracked with coughs as I gasped in what little air I could.  
I looked up just in time to the Fiora bring her foot to my chest.

Pain seared across my body as I rolled onto my back slowly climbing back up from the floor.  
The Grand Duelist was already striding to her rapier, as I wobbly got onto my feet and aimed my sword.

I flung my weapon towards Fiora, its blade missing her by an inch as it embedded into the stone wall.  
Allowing the invisible chains to drag me back to my prison, I grip onto the handle and swing it at my opponent.  
She had no time to react as the edge of blade cut into her stomach, leaving a gash across her abdomen.

"Took you long enough." She laughed, pressing her hand against the bleeding wound.  
I could feel my anger, bring energy back into my wounds, I was going to end this.  
Charging forward, I stabbed the tip of my blade into her shoulder, hearing the metal tear through her flesh I could see a stream of crimson pour down her arm.  
With each and every successful strike the pain from my wounds began to dull, however my opponent did well blocking most of my swings despite only having one arm.

We locked blades, to my surprise with even one arm the woman had almost inhuman strength, easily forcing her weapon forward when I could barely do it with two.  
I glanced to her stomach, she still had her hand pressed against the gash in an attempt to stem the bleeding.  
I flipped turned my sword and let go of one hand as Fiora easily overcame my strength as she pushed my blade down against me, the edge of her short sword bit into my shoulder, her usual smirk reforming on her lips.

Taking my chance I threw one more punch into her stomach, pressing her own hand into the wound.  
Instantly, Fiora's force weakened allowing me to push my blade back to her until I unlocked the blades and flung the flat of my sword towards her face, creating a resounding smack as she then fell to the floor.

I threw myself forward, straddling onto my opponent's chest and pressed the tip of my blade against her throat, it was over, I had won.  
I gulped in the air only to feel and sharp pain against my rib cage, I glanced down only to see that Fiora had pointed her blade into my chest, one little push and it would go through my bones and into my heart.  
My opponent guffawed as she watched my realization.

"I like you, and I'd hate to kill you, however since death is not allowed I'd say this is a draw, eh?" She said, pulling away her weapon from my ribs as I did the same.

"A draw it is then."

I slid my prison back into its scabbard and offered Fiora my uninjured arm, she slapped it away and got up from the floor on her own accord.  
Even after the battle her ego remained a priority.

Looking up to the crowds, I called out to the announcer.

"I have fought your battle! I have shown my strengths! What else do you need?"

My question was met with silence as the familiar blue light flooded throughout the stadium again.

"Good luck." I could hear Fiora whisper behind me.

"Wait..what?"

Before I could realize what was happening the light was gone and the hundreds of spectators were gone, without a trace.

_**You have shown your physical strength Inumbris, we now only ask one more thing of you...**_

The sphere of energy darkened, leaving only a small spot of light that was focused on me.

"And what exactly wou-" I began to say before I realized I was no longer in the stadium, or even The Institute of War for that matter.

The warm winds of the desert blew through me as the sun beamed from above.  
Seemingly never-ending dunes of sand surrounded me as I looked around, the sounds of screaming resonating throughout the area.  
Next to me was a wreckage, people were running frantically as scaled monstrosities swam through the sand, grabbing onto survivors and tearing them apart limb from limb.  
I had no idea what was going on, I reached for my prison only to find that it wasn't there, I tried moving my legs but they were rooted to the sands leaving me to look in horror as the poor souls were devoured.

These people must have been traders or migrants that were ambushed by the monstrosities as the carriages were torn apart and their camels were killed; they're only form of escape, gone.

To my left, I could hear gurgling that was nearly drowned out by the terrified and dying screams of the others.  
I turned my neck only to have my heart skip a beat.  
It was me, lying in the wreckage with a piece of shrapnel sticking through my chest, blooding pouring from my mouth as I desperately reached out, my words reduced to reticent groans.

_**This isn't possible.**_

None of what I was seeing happened, I couldn't remember any of this, in fact as far as my memory went was when...I stumbled into Shurima looking for help.  
I was dehydrated, overheated but I didn't have a plank of wood sticking from my chest.  
Before I could react I was blinded by a flash of golden light and the scene changed again.

Everything was moving in fast forward but from the glimpses I managed to catch it was showing my travels through Shurima, looking for residence.  
Situation slowed down to a point that I was all to familiar with.

My past self ran through the guards, gripping onto Aphra's arm and giving my energy to her.  
Saia pulled me away while the others pointed their spears to my throat.  
Aphra waved the others away as she kneeled down and looked into my past self's eyes.

The scene sped up as it sporadically depicted my medical training and eventually the ceremony where Azir himself bestowed the title of _Custos _upon me.  
At one point the vision slowed down for long enough that I could see Aphra and I sitting a warm fire lit room.  
Aphra had her head laying across my lap as she looked up to me as spoke.  
I sat there quietly, happily brushing the hair from her forehead, listening to whatever she was talking about.  
I always loved hearing her speak as I felt her close to me.

It felt like someone shoved a rock down my throat, I couldn't swallow or barely even breathe as I felt a warm flame glow in my chest.  
During that time I felt so happy, so at peace, it was like everything in the world fitted into place for me.  
That's the reason why everything felt so bitter as I knew what was to come.

I then saw myself stood over the unconscious body of Selena Deleon, tending to her stab wound as Aphra made the tea that would never be enjoyed.  
I felt like a spectator looking in through the window as I saw Selena flip out through her episode, before showing Xerath's betrayal.

The sky outside dimmed while my unknowing self traveled up the golden steps of the palace.  
I was eventually standing out on the terrace that over looked the glowing city.  
Azir made his usual grandeur entrance as he spouted his lines that I've now come to realize as arrogant bullshit.

I could've interrupted him, I could've shouted the truth then and there.  
But no, I decided to stand still and shut my mouth when interrupting The Emperor's speech would've been a small price to pay for saving thousands of lives.  
I wanted to scream at myself as I saw Xerath with his platoon of guards stride up behind the two of us.  
Defeat flooded through me as I could only watch myself be dragged away, the scene changing once again as one the guards brought the end of their spear to the back of my head.

The images sped at an incomprehensible speed until it again slowed down enough for me to understand what was going on.

However, this time it was different.  
I was no longer a spectator, my hands were tied together behind my back while I was covered in brown rags that barely qualified as clothes.  
I was standing in the middle of a public square, the sight of thousands of people staring down at me sent a horrified chill up my spine.

_**No...Please...**_

I felt two sets of hands force me down to my knees.  
I attempted to scream only to find that a I had a gag tightly tied around my mouth.  
Frantically, I tried scrambling away from the two people holding me down, which I knew to be Renekton and Nasus.  
The two ascended beings merely held me firm, making sure my restraints were solid.

I could tell that this form them was both awkward and difficult, this wasn't a normal task that was asked of them.  
Ever since my arrest the few that I had a chance to interact with acted as if I were some sort explosion waiting to happen, no one knew what I was capable of and neither did I.

From the stadium in front of me Azir stepped forth as well as Xerath, both of which were wearing the masks that kept their identities a secret from the public.  
On my knees and under the mislead eyes of the city I could feel my hatred emanate towards the two men.

Even then the invisible strings that Xerath had around the emperor became clear to me, all of them were in position to strangle the fool to death, restricting his arms and legs leaving him to only stare in betrayal as the life was slowly drained away; all they needed was one short pull.

Azir said nothing as he brought a gauntlet covered hand.  
Almost immediately a beam of sun light was focused onto me, my skin felt tighter as the heat began to take effect.  
Despite how I was almost blinded by the glow I could still see the dark outline of a figure walk up towards me, clutching a wrapped object to their chest.  
It was only when they were standing right in front of me and unwrapped the object did I see what it was.

Clasped in the stranger's hands was a sword that I had never seen like any other.

The blade was a light purple and grew darker towards the edges.  
In the center was a black, smooth, panel of what looked like onyx.  
The handle was decorated in a familiar triangular design however at the point where the handle and blade meet was what seemed to be a black rose engraved into the metal.

I shook my head, desperately fighting against my restraints while the figure held the sword out directly in front of my face.  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Azir bring his hand down in a slicing motion.  
Somehow my executioner saw this as well and began quietly chanting words that I couldn't even begin to understand.

The feeling of burning pain wracked my body.  
It was if a million searing knives were cutting through my skin and tearing out my arteries all at once.  
I howled in agony, the gag making sure my cries were stopped short but in my mind my screams were clear as day.  
The crowds around me gasped, seeing me convulse in misery, while my soul was being torn away.  
Squirming in absolute torment, my energy and consciousness was beginning to fade away, my body itself was now numb but the pain was now growing worse.  
I felt my body slump over, my vision was gone and the souls that I could feel were dying away, falling forward into a dark abyss that never seemed to end.

* * *

I opened my eyes back to the stadium.

I was lying on the sand covered floor, the itch from the dust was long gone now.  
My throat felt hoarse like I had been actually screaming inside the vision.  
Picking myself up from the floor, I crane my neck and look up to the platform to see Azir glaring down at me.  
I blinked a few times and with that the image of the former emperor disappeared, replaced with a worried looking Evangeline, flying down the steps and into the arena.

"I-Inumbris I'm so sorry! We had no idea that-" She tried to apologize while lifting me up to my feet.

"You. Had. No. Right." I growled, tearing my arm away from her grasp.

My anger was burning inside me as four other summoners appeared on the platform above me.  
I felt violated, these deceiving mages perused through my memories and made me relive the agony that has haunted me for decades maybe even centuries.

"What makes you think _you _have the right to do that to me!?" I shouted at them, my fury giving energy back to my voice.

"Inumbris, this was the-" Evangeline began before one of the summoners above interrupted her.

"The real judgement, you agreed to the requirements of a champion and was willing to go through with it, this was merely one of the required steps."

"Is this what the council does? Luring in people and make them relive the most terrible moments of their lives, and calling that judgement!?"

"Do not be so ignorant, we needed to be reassured that you were compatible with our summoners and Summoner Raptis happened to be the volunteer to do so."

I looked to Evangeline, there was a feeling of pained sympathy in her eyes, had she seen everything?  
Turning back to the group of four, I cleared my voice as I spoke in a slow but clear tone.

"What is your judgement then?"

"As the representatives for The League we say to you: 'Welcome to our ranks Inumbris, Eternity's Prisoner.'

* * *

-**Azir-**

I had entered the stadium expecting some random stranger attempting to prove their worth to the egotistical summoners of The League.  
Xerath again was not present, he never was.

"_The affairs of mortals is beneath me." _Is how I believed he put it.

I was, thankfully, covered by my helmet which was the only object that disguised my surprise when I saw someone who I despised for thousands of years.  
There he stood, looking out into the crowds as we did the same to him.  
He believed that The League would help him in his malicious goals, I wasn't truly surprised after having seen many of the creatures The Institute allowed in.

Inumbris never set his gaze upon me before The Grand Duelist was teleported down in the arena with the monster.

Once they crossed blades I could feel satisfaction well in my chest as Fiora cut through Inumbris' flesh, causing his corrupted body to bleed out.  
The moment she blinded him I knew it wasn't over, the moments that I replayed through my mind taught me enough that he had a few more tricks up his sleeve.  
Like I expected he fought without falter and remorse, willing to sacrifice others for his own gain.

I felt ashamed that I had been the one to bestow his title and create the oath that he inevitably broke, but it was slightly redeemed that I was the one that stripped him of it and his humanity; no he lost his humanity the moment he betrayed Shurima, and its citizens.

There was a level contempt I had for him that was only shadowed by the anger I held for Xerath.  
_He _was the beginning of the end, the one who poisoned doubt into the hearts of Shurima and made them question their faith in _me_.  
He was the first of many pieces that worked in unison to make my city, my people, crumble to ash.

Once the dust had settled and the battle was determined as a draw, I immediately felt the familiar magic of the summoners begin to pull me back.  
I gave one final look at the corrupted healer before the world disappeared.

I hoped in the judgement he feels every second of the punishment for his crimes.  
It will be the first of many justices I plan to pay back _in_ _full_.

**Author's Notes: As many of you might have noticed, I am indeed back within a week from the last chapter. It seems I've severely underestimated the time and passion I had for writing this. Anyway with that aside I've come to cover a couple of things.  
**  
**1) I don't really enjoy writing author's notes at the end because I feel that it interrupts the flow of the story somewhat, so these are going to be few and far between.**

**2) Practically all reviews are welcome (With the exceptions of just nonsensical swearing, inappropriate ramble, etc) because I believe it's best if the audience often voice their thoughts as long as it's constructive, so please, if you do either have an opinion or question, voice it! :D**

**3) I'm going to apologize in advanced if more questions arise for I may not answer them depending on if they're spoiler related or if I can't privately respond to you (Gea5s you are the reason why I'm writing this.)**

**Speaking of Gea5s, since I am writing this I'll answer the question you brought up:**

**Yes.**

**Anyway, if you've managed to get to this part I thank you for reading and as always, stay wonderful and a fantastic day!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Ones You Trust

_Eternity's Prisoner..._

Whatever rage I had towards the summoners was immediately extinguished and replaced with quiet bitterness.  
So that was my title, through the years of blindly wandering and being submerged in my own sorrow while the dead pulled on my chains, that was the name they decided to bestow.

It fitted me perfectly.

I looked back to the group of summoners on top of the stadium's platform, shrugging my shoulders and allowing my face to form into an emotionless scowl.

"So is that it? The Judgement is over?" I called out to no one in general.

It was time for Evangeline to speak up.

"Well, now we need to go through your abilities and... history so that we can give summoners a general idea of who you are."

"Fine."

As the stadium fell back into silence I turned away and began marching to the entrance, waving a hand behind me.

"Until next time, council."

I pushed open the wooden doors and entered into the hallway.

"Oh hey, Inumbris!" I heard a familiar voice call from my left, accompanied by heavy metal clangs.

I glanced over to see that Avilius was jogging up beside me, his mouth running a mile a minute.

"How did it go? I heard screaming but didn't know who it was, did everything go okay-"

He stopped himself as he noticed the expression across my face and that the summoner was catching up to the two of us.

"Gelly? What happened? Did he not p-"

"He passed." She interrupted, giving her brother a look that told him one thing:

**_Stop speaking. _**

"Oh...umm, I just remembered that Jason asked me to...look into something. See you two later." Avilius muttered nervously before stopping and jogging the opposite direction from where we were going.

Once the metal footsteps died away, the air grew still again.  
I refused to look at her, while my rage had been smothered there was still anger towards someone who I thought I could trust.

"Inumbris, look, I'm sorry I had no idea that there was...that..." Evangeline confessed, trying to coax a response from me.

I decided to oblige her.

"Maybe you would have known if you asked before meddling through my memories, Summoner Raptis."

Out of the corner of my sight I saw any hope drain from her face at the mention of her title.

"We usually don't tell champions what they're about to go through since they'd most likely try to hide things from us and themselves."

"I can see why."

"Inumbris, I said I'm sorry but there's nothing else I could've done, they're the rules."

"The rules..." I echoed under my breath, letting the words slip off the tip of my tongue.

By then the remaining embers of my fury managed to reignite the more The Summoner tried to defend her actions.

"Let me tell you something about the rules, _Summoner Raptis_."

I stopped in my tracks, catching the woman off guard as I glared into her eyes.

"What I learned from the rules is that no matter how long you manage to abide by them there is always someone who is going to break them. Not only do they enjoy prancing in between the lines but they get away with it as well, pushing off the penalties to someone else when the time comes, and when it does there's nothing but hell to pay. So I don't particularly agree with your guidelines, _Summoner Raptis_, and I don't think that I ever will!"

Once I stopped my yelling, the woman was simply at a loss for words as she tried to search for something to say.  
I took a breath and asked one final question.

"You said that we'll be going over my abilities, when?"

This was when she seemed to snap out of her stupor.

"I figured that we'd meet in the same stadium in an hour-hour and a half and discuss-"

"I'll be there then."

I turned back down the hallways strode forward without looking back to the summoner.

"Inumbris-wait... when I was going through your memories, there was a name that cropped up so many times but I couldn't see who it was...Who is Rexas?"

"Rexas...is dead." Was all I said before turning round the corner and disappearing from her sight.

* * *

I didn't particularly know where I was heading but neither did I care.  
Roaming the halls of the Institute of War allowed me to try and wash away the anger that held its grip around my heart.  
In the few hours I had been here it was already proving to be a contemptible choice but I was going to fight through it nevertheless.  
I wanted answers, after all these years of torment I deserved that at the least.

It wasn't long until my feet carried me to a patterned window, the radiance from the sun shining through the glass and casting a rainbow of colors onto the carpet.  
I leaned against the wall and placed my palm to the warm surface and closed my eyes, relaxing my muscles and calming my mind.

_**Please don't ever fall that far again...**_

My insides lurched as Aphra's words echoed through my thoughts.  
Regret turned my blood to ice as I realized that I had allowed my anger to control my actions yet again.  
Reliving the trial reopened a scar that cut deep inside of me, not only did it bring back the pain but it also resurfaced the memories of sitting silently and doing nothing as Xerath got closer and closer to closing his grasp around Azir's throat.

The blame I put on Azir, on Xerath , on myself was simply diverted Evangeline since she was just the closest person I could pin all of it on.  
I laughed dryly as I began to think of the bitter old man I had become.  
She had already done so much for me, allowed me into the Institute of War, gathered the council, and helped my comprehension of what the league was in the first place.  
And what had I done? treated her like a traitor because I couldn't handle my own sharp reminders.

She didn't deserve it because how would she have known of the things that had happened, in the very least I could have told her before the judgement.  
It was funny how my problems traced back to me.

Stepping away I look to the window, then did I notice that the disjointed panels of colored glass came together and formed a mural.  
It was robed figure reaching out into the sky, their hand desperately grasping at the only transparent piece that caught the sun perfectly.

I turned away and began my journey back to where we agreed to meet, not knowing how much time had passed while I was in the middle of my frustration.  
Whether or not it merited forgiveness an apology was in order.

* * *

The familiar feeling of sand crunched under my shoes as I looked around the empty stadium.  
As expected the four summoners that stood themselves on top of the platform were long gone, but Evangeline was nowhere to be found.  
Merely assuming that she had yet to arrive, I climbed up the steps from the arena and sat myself down.

I repeated the potential scenarios that could happen in my mind, trying to form some sort of apology that didn't sound forced.  
With the world a distant recollection it wasn't until I felt a someone plop themselves beside me accompanied by a the clang of metal, did I finally drag myself out of my own thoughts.

To my side sat a familiar giant that was covered in the usual heavy armor he always, setting down his shield onto the floor.

"Hello Avilius."I muttered, looking him in the eye while dreading what the man was going to say.  
He pulled off his helmet revealing a collection of short brown hair, and the same pair of blue eyes that his sister had.  
Besides the eyes it was almost a wonder how the two of them were even remotely related.

Contrary to my fears Avilius clasped a hand to my shoulder and only shook it back and forth.  
He gave his small warm smile while his soul gave away a small glimpse of sympathy.  
He knew.

"How much did she tell you?"

"She told me enough."

"Ah... well... there's nothing much to talk about then."

"Inumbris I'm mean no offense but after today, what happened...who _you _are will be open to everyone. Once your presence is announced there won't be a single summoner _or _champion that won't know something about you."

"I guessed that much even before I arrived here, and yet it scares me more than anything else when I think about it."

I turned my gaze away from Avilius and to the center of the stadium, the ball of arcane energy making the beige color of the sand look like a cold grey floor.

"I know Evangeline can be...a little hard to read at times but she means good, you just have to trust her. Once you start participating in matches you're going to be flooded with requests by summoners for them to guide your in their battles. Not to mention that we here at the Institute of War house some pretty homicidal crazy people, you're going to need find people you can trust...and that's what we're here for."

I didn't respond, merely just sitting in silence not knowing what to say or do.  
Much like when I met Agrass and Theresa the feeling of kindness was strange, even foreign to me now.  
A few minutes had passed when the still air was disturbed by distant tap of feet when from out of the entrance appeared a familiar red head.

"Well, I think spoke my two cents, for now. I'll see you later Inumbris, have fun with training." Avilius spoke as he stood himself up, gripping his shield and giving me a two finger salute before heading back down the steps.

"Wait? Training?" I said aloud once I registered the man's words.

The two siblings gave each other a nod of acknowledgement as Avilius walked back into the hallway, his sister however remained at the bottom of the stairs gesturing for me to walk down.  
Getting up from my seat I trudged down into the arena and met Evangeline eye to eye.

"Evangeline, I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier, I allowed my anger to fuel my actions."

The woman shook her head as a smile began to creep back into her features.

"No, you shouldn't say sorry for what you said, you were right, I should've told you about the judgement in the first place, rules or no rules." She insisted, extending her hand forward.

"With your permission, I'd like to solidify this moment as an agreement between champion and summoner that we can trust each other."

I took her hand in mine and shook it, locking my eyes onto hers.

"Agreed."

When I tried to pull my arm away Evangeline still held firm.

"Do you trust me?" She asked with the smallest hint of a chuckle in her tone.

"Yes?" I answered slightly exasperated.

"Good. This is where the fun begins."

Before I could even inquire what she meant the arcane sphere flashed brighter while a blue glow formed around the two of us.  
My body started to feel lighter and lighter as the stadium around me began to fade away, glow had begun to grow blinding.  
I tried to speak but my voice was whipped away as everything shifted and I was no longer in the Institute of War.

* * *

I felt my feet landed on top of solid ground as my senses were immediately assaulted by a cold chill running through me.  
Instinctively I grasped the edges of my travel cloak and wrapped it around me only realizing then did it do absolutely did nothing to protect me.  
The freezing air blew against my body, causing me to stumbled a couple of feet before I looked up and saw my surroundings.

I was surrounded by a decrepit stone wall castle, many of its features were either broken or scratched away by years of abuse.  
Above me stood a giant statue of an armored soldier, gripping in its hands was a staff that at its top was a jewel that glowed the same blue color as the sphere back at the stadium.  
To my front were a series of structures, some of which possessed a similar glowing gem to the one held by the statue.

"Welcome to the Howling Abyss!" I heard Evangeline's voice call out to my side.

I twisted my neck to see the woman in question leaning against a pillar of ice while she herself had her robes wrapped tightly around in an attempt to fight the cold.

"What is this place?" I called out, trying to elevate my voice above the screaming winds.

'I told you, The Howling Abyss! It's one of the few places that The Institute has complete control of!."

"Oh...it never occurred to me that they would be...so unpleasant!"

"Believe me. When you're in the summoner's chambers looking at this place through a ball of magical energy you tend to forget about it..oh wait.."

"Thanks...So what are we waiting for exactly?"

"Well you're going to need to buy items so we're simply just waiting for the merchant."

Confused, I tilted my head and tried to piece together what she was saying.

"A merchant? Who's going to be joining-" Was all I managed ask before from out of the floor ascended a transparent figure, pillars of carved stone raised themselves in unison with him.

I jumped back in surprise while my companion laughed as she watched my reaction.  
I could only gaze at him, my mouth agape while my thoughts were overrun with a million questions.  
How did he just manage to appear like that without me feeling his presence, it was almost like he just spontaneously existed.  
The figure seemed to be a sort of warrior as he wore a giant war horn on his back and was equipped with what seemed to be heavy fur armor.

The specter looked down from where he floated and regarded me with pupiless eyes.

"I haven't seen you around here before, fresh meat?" He spoke, his voice reverberating throughout the entire castle and echoing off into the mountains.

This was when Evangeline stepped forward and introduced the two of us.

"Inumbris, this is Greyor, Greyor this is Inumbris."

"Inumbris eh? Where do you hail from?"

It was my turn to speak up.

"I come from Shurima."

"Shurima? From what I've seen of your people, you're either a pompous _bacraut_, or a bloodthirsty madman."

Slightly taken back by the man's brashness I quickly swept away his comment and answered with what I hoped to be the truth.

"I can assure you that I'm neither..."

"We'll see about that" The warrior huffed before turning to Evangeline.

"Not many summoners show themselves in these parts, you're showing him the ropes?"

The summoner nodded her response as she took a step forward, gesturing her hand for me to follow suit.  
She turned to me before taking in a breath and beginning what I was guessed to be a long winded explanation.

* * *

"...Now do you get it?" Evangeline inquired.  
Her monologue had sent my mind reeling as I processed through the information she gave me but managed to catch the main points of it...I hoped.

"Yes? I believe I've gotten most of it." I spoke, albeit halfheartedly.

"Good, then I''ll be going."

"Wait what? You're leaving me here? What am I suppose to do now?"

A look of realization formed across Evangeline's face as she then pulled something from inside her robes and tossed it to my.  
I caught it and found that it was a small, empty leather pouch that was tied shut by a couple of strings.

"What's this?" I asked, looking to the woman for answers.

"That's for your potions and trinkets; you'll find out soon what those are."

My apprehension was becoming more and more apparent as I continued to learn more about what I was charged with doing.

"Don't worry, I'll be there with you every step of the way." She explained, giving me a wink before a familiar blue light surrounded her and in the next moment she was gone.

"Great.." I muttered under my breath before walking over to Greyor who was still looking down at me.

"Hello again." I greeted, banishing the anxiousness from my voice.

He didn't return the gesture, silently floating in the air as he acted as if he were waiting for me to do something.  
I had forgotten to buy anything.

"So...um... do you have any recommendations for purchasing?" I asked, desperately trying to tear away the hostile silence between the two of us.

"Seeing as you have a sword strapped to your back, I'd start off with a brutalizer."

"Sure, whatever that is."

I hadn't the faintest idea what a "brutalizer" was but I figured the sooner I could get out of here, the better.

Once I accepted the purchase I felt a steady flow of strength seep into my arms, even though I was never given anything.  
Shaking my head I just continued with my purchases.

"There was something mentioned about potions?"

"How many do you want?" The merchant sighed, it was apparent that he was fighting off the urge of giving a lecture himself.

"Three I think would be sufficient." I answered, pulling a random number out of my head.

"There ya go."

It was then I felt the small bag in my hand grow heavier, curious, I untied the strings and peered inside and sure enough there were three round bottle of red liquid.  
Beneath the potions was what appeared a sort of biscuit.  
I looked up to Greyor and held out the baked good.

"What's this?"

"It's a poro-snax, a little treat for them Poros around here."

"Poros?"

"JUST GO!" The specter bellowed, I had obviously stalled for long enough to even make the merchant impatient.

Without a word I quickly tied the bag to the loop of my belt and began running down the castle's floor, to the exit.  
I soon realized that the old structure was a god send when it came to blocking the breeze, my body felt like it was made of ice as the frozen wind continued to blow.

Standing underneath my front "tower" I look out to the opposing side and see no one, yet I could still feel their presence.  
Besides the howling winds everything else was silent, I had no idea of what was to come in the next few minutes.  
Evangeline still hadn't made any sort of contact which made my unease form a knot in the pit of my stomach.

To my right of the bridge was a section that no longer had any form of wall or support giving a clear few of the Frejlordian mountains and the chasm that lay beneath the breaking platform.  
I quickly snapped my gaze back to the bridge, my eyes examining into the frozen brush.

It was when I was scanning for my opponent did I feel something bump against my leg.  
Looking down I saw something that made me entirely forget about the upcoming battle.

It was small, the entirety of their body was covered in a white fur with the only exception being two curved horns on the top of its head.  
The creature looked up at with me two big black eyes as its abnormally large tongue stuck out from its mouth.  
It pressed its two front paws against my leg and leaned upwards to give me the biggest begging look I had seen from any animal.

It was absolutely adorable.

"Hello little one. So you're the Poros I've heard so much about." I cooed scratching the lovable creature behind the horn.

The poro seemed to be thrilled by the touch, closing its eyes and leaning its head into my scratching fingers.  
I then noticed that the poro's breathing was a high pitched panting, it sounded like the cross between a small puppy and out of breath child, this only added to the creature's cuteness.

"Who's an adorable ball of fur? Oh yes you are!" My voice was becoming higher and higher, my words being strung to together in a jumble of incoherent baby talk.

I reached towards my belt and untie the strings to the small pouch that hang by my side.  
The moment I took out the biscuit the poro's face seem to beam as it ran around in a circle before hopping back against my shin.  
I smiled at the little guy's excitement, laying the treat to the ground and watching the poro bite into it.

_**I see you've gotten yourself a friend.**_

The sound of Evangeline's voice echoing through my mind nearly made me jump out of my skin.  
However my little companion didn't seem to mind as ate he away at the snack.

"So now you're in my head. Wonderful."

_**I did say that I'll be with you every step of the way.**_

"I expected it to be more literal rather than you doing...well this."

_**This is how all champions and summoners communicate when they're in the middle of a match, you might want to get used to it. **_

"So what exactly am I suppose to do now?"

_**Well, I had the minions delayed long enough for me to explain shopping to you. Which means that they should be spawning-**_

As if on cue the wind was split apart by a deafening:

**"Minions have spawned!"**

Startled by this, my little poro friend finished up the remaining pieces of his baked good and scurried away into the frozen brush.

Sighing as I got back up to my feet, I twisted my neck to see that from the Nexus itself bits of cloth and metal appeared from nothing and formed together to create faceless, miniature soldiers.  
Once the entire group of "minions" had been created, they formed into a line and started marching down the lane towards me.  
I looked back to the opposing side and found of all people The Grand Duelist preparing herself under tower.

"Fiora?"

_**Almost right after the duel was finished she declared that she wanted to have a rematch against you. She said that it was because of you abilities alone were you able to make the fight a draw.**_

"And you agreed to this?"

_**I was hesitant at first, but I noticed in the middle of the duel you could improve on your sword play and Fiora said that she was willing to "help" you with that.**_

"Oh thanks..."

_**Hey, I'm only helping you develop as a champion.**_

"You use a very loose definition of 'helping'"

_**You have no reason to worry, this only to teach you farming and laning skills. It's none-lethal and this bridge is safe.**_

At that moment a section of the bridge only a couple of yards away from me buckled and fell away into the dark abyss below.

_**Mostly.**_

* * *

"Poor form!" The Grand Duelist exclaimed as she chained a riposte with her parry, easily bringing the tip of her sword into my shoulder.

"You're too predictable! Your attacks are so obvious you might as well scream out your next move."

I could feel my frustration seep back into my heart the more jeers Fiora cried out at me.

The moment the miniature soldiers charged to the middle and began taking turns mindlessly beating at one another the battle quickly turned in a game of tag.  
We both were going through the waves of minions and executing the weakened individuals, the entire time looking for an opening to attack the other, trading blows before retreating behind the lines of brainless mercenaries.

I guzzled down my last potion, focusing on the liquid sapping away the pain rather than the metallic taste of blood.

While all of this was happening Evangeline whispered advice and commands in my ear.

_**Your minions are focusing the siege, make sure you're the one to kill**_** it.**

Following her command, I swung my sword through the puppet that was piloting a miniature cannon, rewarding me with the sound of golden coins clinking against each other inside my pouch while the fallen mercenary keeled over and decomposed back into dust.

The Grand Duelist on the other hand kept her distance and patiently sliced away at the breaking dolls.  
Unknowingly for her this was the only thing that kept me from engaging her in combat, I couldn't go forward for the fear of the minions turning they attention to me but I couldn't get close enough to paralyze her.

I slashed through the last remaining puppet and pushed my wave forward, causing Fiora to back away slowly.

"Evangeline, I'm going to try something immensely stupid." I whispered under my breath.

**_Inumbris what are you planning-_**

Before she had time to finish that thought I flung my prison towards Fiora's direction, she dodged it easily allowing the blade to embed itself into the cobblestone a couple of feet away from her.  
Allowing its force to pull me towards the object I then pulled out the weapon and and felt a familiar heartbeat pulse in my arm.  
In an instant I gripped around Fiora's aura and tore it away, watching as she immediately froze and gripped a hand to her chest.

"Y-you cheating bastard" She gasped.

Taking the opportunity I dashed forward, sword in hand and swung it in a wide arch.  
The duelist crossed her short sword and rapier, catching my blade in the crux of her two weapons.  
I leaned my weight forward, forcing our weapons closer and closer to her body.

Seeing this, Fiora swiped my feet from beneath me, causing me to fall forward as she rolled to the side.  
We both quickly got up to our feet and began crossing blades.  
Sparks flew and the sound sound of metal rang throughout the bridge as steel clashed against steel, I swung my blade attempting to break through Fiora's defenses while she skillfully parried my attacks and tried to stab her rapier into my sword arm.

Taking her short sword Fiora attempted to slash at my side, however I wrapped my hand around her wrist and twisted her arm, causing her to let it go.  
The moment the weapon clattered to the ground I kicked it, making the blade slide across the ground and off the side of the bridge, falling into the abyss.

It was then Fiora looked at me with a burning hatred as in the next moment she moved with an impossible speed.  
I couldn't keep track of where she was as in second she appeared to my side and sliced me across the shoulder, in the next moment she was in front of me and stabbed her rapier into my collar.

Despite everything that had happening to me before the edge of her blade shot pain through my entire body as I felt the ash seep out of my wounds.  
I brought my prison up and blocked her next assault, locking her weapon with mine gain.  
In that moment I brought my knee to her stomach, causing the woman to stumble backwards, as she did so I swung my sword and smacked hers out of her hand.  
With her defenseless I pointed the blade and brought the tip to her throat.

The angered expression disappeared from Fiora's face as her usual smirk made itself present again.  
She slowly clapped her hands as I pulled away my prison and brought it back to its scabbard.

"We might make a fighter out of you yet."

I breathed air back into my lungs, pressing my hand against my burning wounds, imparting the little I could and numbed the pain.

"It's nice to know that I'm not _completely _incapable of sword fighting."

Fiora chuckled slightly as she picked up her rapier.

"Might I ask what's so funny?"

"Oh that short sword...I wish to be paid back for its loss."

"How much was it?"

"Over seven thousand gold pieces."


	7. Chapter 7: The Unforgiven

My life for the next couple of days had been completely committed to training within the Howling Abyss.  
Each day Evangeline transported me back to the cold and desolate mountains the more did my body started to ignore the cold as I focused my mind on my opponent.  
After the second session Evangeline told me that it would be few more days until I would incorporated into the champion rotation, she said that: "I needed to build a connection with the Nexus crystal before I could go off and fight to the death."  
It wasn't until today did she finally state that she was going to submit her notes to the summoners' council.

It had taken enough time for even Greyor had begun to greet me with a respectful nod before stopping me while I was making my way back to the bridge.

_**"So uh... while you're out on the bridge, let me know if you see any lady ghosts out there."**_ He said giving me a bashful grin.

In the few moments before minions spawned I always stood under tower and waited for a familiar furry face to erupt from the brush.  
Without fail my little friend rushed over to me, his usual smile spread across his lips and tongue waggling in front of his face.  
I noticed that within the couple of days I had been feeding the little creature he had managed to grow fatter so much so that he was almost twice his original size.

_**"What do they put in those snacks, little one?" **_I mumbled before the announcer resonated throughout the ruins that the mindless puppets had begun their march.

The halls of the Institute of War soon became familiar with time as did some of the characters within it.  
My fellow champions all ranged from warriors and mages from Noxus to unspeakable horrors that crawled out from of the void, their pasts filled with either heroic innocence, tragedy, or bloodshed.

There were, of course, those who eyed me over.  
I could feel their maliciousness while they seemed to be plotting what were the quickest steps to my death.  
However on occasion there were those who laughed and greeted me, introducing themselves not like I just another opponent but like I was a member of their community.  
Despite my scrutiny the one champion that I wished to find above everyone else had never made themselves present.

In the times where I had merely traveled the land, wandering aimlessly I had went through entire cities that bustled with human beings but it never felt like I was truly a part of it, just a spectator looking from the outside in.  
When I had met Theresa and Agrass they were warm and kind for sure, but despite their hospitality I still like a distant watcher.  
Yet now, fellow combatants not only greeted me, but welcomed me into this strange little society of warriors, inventors, summoners, and healers...and for once in a very long time I didn't start the day thinking of my own failings.

* * *

"Inumbris, I would like you to a friend of mine; this is Braum." Avilius said gesturing towards an impossibly muscled man, carrying what appeared to be a battered and beaten door with a ram's head sculpted in stone.  
Braum slung the shield from his arm and dropped it onto the floor, the impact from the just the door itself had caused the stone flooring to crack.

"I have heard so much about you, Inumbris! Welcome to the league my friend!." He cheered, taking my hand in a bone crushing hand shake before letting go and slamming a hand against my shoulder.  
Whenever the man spoke his handlebar mustache twitched along his upper lip in an almost mesmerizing fashion.

While I had felt like I was hit by a runaway caravan, I still managed to return smile at the giant that easily towered over me by a couple of feet.  
I could see why him and Avilius were closer friends.

"I talked to Gelly and I heard that you were getting pretty good with that sword of yours and I thought that was more than enough to celebrate!" Avilius explained, his excitement was palpable as he wore his usual bright smile along with Braum whose grin was almost disguised underneath his mustache.

"Ah my friend there is always a reason to celebrate, let us go."

"Wait, where are we going exactly?" I asked, in the couple of days I had been in the league I quickly learned that there were no other places to "celebrate" besides the building's cafeteria that was open to both champions and summoners.

"There's a bar in the town nearby; it's open to summoners and champions, well to those that can go outside the borders. I thought we go there and drink away a couple of brain cells, my treat."

"Don't you have guard duty tonight, Avilius?"

"Nope! New schedule just arrived I only have to guard the front entrance every _other _day."

I stopped and thought through my options; besides training I didn't spend my time on anything else other than watching through live political matches, trying to grasp the different roles each champion had.  
Evangeline and Avilius were essentially the only ones to join me and discuss anything, I wasn't particularly focused on making friends.

"...Sure, I'll join you guys, I don't really have anything to do at the moment."

At this Avilius somehow managed to brighten even more, like a child who was given a new toy.

"It's a date then!"

* * *

It didn't take us long to journey through the forest and to the nearby town.  
The town itself was much more active than when I had first entered it as the night air was filled with chatter and laughter.  
The cold chill was banished as soon as the three of us had entered the small yet warm tavern.

It was almost startling how the level of noise seemed to plummet as we sat ourselves around a table.  
The establishment was pleasant enough as the entire room was bathed in the glow of candlelight that was emanated from an iron chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

A couple of feet away from our table sat two younger adults whom I could remember seeing in the institute but somehow I couldnʻt quite recollect.  
One was dressed in a brown leather jacket and pants, with a pair of goggles strapped to his head.  
His friend however was dressed in much more...well grander clothing.  
She was adorned in a black and white dress that hugged her figure closely and her blonde hair was tied back in a bun.  
Both of them leaned into table talking away, stopping every once in a while to take a sip of their drink.

In the corner of the room sat a lone man that seemed content with being alone.

I was tapped on the shoulder by Avilius who then pointed to the bartender coming towards our table.  
In a momentʻs notice I realized that the bartender in question was a fellow champion of the league; Gragas.  
The rotund man stomped his way to where we were sitting, the layers of fat he had around his body jiggled with every step he took, since the man seem to think it wasnʻt necessary to wear a shirt...or a kilt that wasnʻt torn to shreds as a matter fact.

I had learned from the past couple of days that Gragas had a certain...obsession with alcohol so it didnʻt surprise me to find out that he was in charge of a bar.

"Whatʻll you have?" He grumbled, his enormous ginger beard waggling.

"Frejlordian ale please, and what about you two?" Avilius asked, looking to Braum and me.

"Goatʻs Milk, kind sir." Braum smiled.

"Do you have any tea by chance?" I asked the giant.

Gragas seemed to get a laugh from this as he then turned around muttering something that sounded like: "Light weights."

The moment Gragas went off to grab our drinks Avilius and Braum began talking to each other, I however opted to stay quiet and listen.  
It was after a few minutes or so did they start talking about recent league matches and the outcome of the political battles.

"I still can't believe how Noxus beat Demancia that last match." Avilius spoke, his eyes slightly glazed over in thought.

"It was indeed a surprise to see Draven survive through that many hits." Braum nodded, he to was in entranced by the memory.

In the final moments of the match The Glorious Executioner had infiltrated the enemy base, unnoticed due to the enemy team forcing their way through the last two remaining turrets.  
He not only managed to survive five tower shots before bringing down the Demacian Nexus.  
Despite being bloodied and barely able to even breathe I could still here his whoops as the orb darkened with red lettering forming across the surface.

**Noxus** **Victorious.**

Thinking of the match my mind drifted back towards me experience in that bloodthirsty country before settling on one small piece of paper.

"Speaking of Noxus, I remember there was battle between them and Shurima, what was the outcome of that?" I asked, hoping for an answer from either man.

The two of them looked at me curiously before realization dawned upon Avilius' face.

"Are you talking about the one that happened a month ago? Between Azir and Swain?"

"Yes that's the one, what happened?"

"Azir was unrelenting, he never stopped driving his team forward as they took control of the Noxian's base. Even Swain was surprised by the endurance he had but by the time he tried shoving them back the Shuriman's had already overpowered them. Through the entire battle Azir made these large ranting statements of Shurima's return."

I felt a dry laugh form in my throat while a small ember of fury burned in me.  
After all Azir had done, all that he had neglected to do he still believed that he was a powerful emperor.  
He truly was a fool.

"Why do you ask?" Avilius asked, his aura giving away the regret he had already of telling me.

"I just wanted to know..."

The two men exchanged glances as a silence fell over the table until Gragas came over with our drinks.

"Thank you Gragas." Braum laughed, in an attempt to expel the situation.

"To our friend Inumbris! May you find happiness in the league." He toasted, bringing his enormous mug of milk to the air.

Avilius and I followed suit even though it was slightly strange to toast myself.  
While the two men guzzled down their poisons I took a small sip of my tea, cringing slightly but nonetheless enjoying the small warmth that spread through my stomach. Friendly chatter was soon continued as they gulped down more of their drinks, while Braum seemed absolutely fine Avilius on the other hand became more and more intoxicated as time passed.

While I at first tried to contribute into their conversation, I found myself slightly drifting away as Avilius' words began to slur.  
I absentmindedly sipped at my tea, delving myself deeper into my thoughts while I waited for the evening to roll by.  
The sound of the door slamming behind me and the laughs of a familiar madman wrenched me out of my trance as I turned my neck to see two armored men walk through the bar.

Immediately I recognized one of the two warriors that were striding towards the bar counter.  
The Glorious Executioner was still in his combat armor, the arm guards that were strapped to his biceps had haphazard spikes jutting out from the leather while fur lined around the back of his collar. His hair was slicked in a form of a Mohawk, the rest of his hair was tied back in a pony tail while he sported a sort of Fu Manchu mustache that was almost as deadly as his signature axes that were on his back.

"Draaaaven makes his appearance in the bar." The egocentric warrior exclaimed throughout the bar, his usual smirk spread across his face.

"Draven for once in your life can you just shut the fuck up?" The man behind him groaned, whom I assumed to be his brother; Darius, the Hand of Noxus.

Darius towered over his brother the massive metal armor he wore only made this fact painfully apparent, in his right hand he carried a massive battleaxe that easily could have reached up to my shoulders in length.

"Darius, it's not Draven-it's Draaaaaven."

"You've been saying that for years now and that still doesn't change the fact that you're annoying as hell."

The Blood Brothers began bickering at each other while the rest of the bar's occupants stared at the two of them, some more hostile than the others.  
It was after a few minutes of this did the blonde male got up from his table, much to the displeasure of his female companion, his face contorted into a glare as he addressed the two warriors.

"If you two are going to continue bitching at one another you could at least leave, some of us are trying to enjoy ourselves here."

The Blood Brothers stopped arguing and turned towards their addresser, Darius seemed to be enraged from this, Draven however didn't seemed to be phased.

"Draaaven thinks that you're a little salty Ezreal. It was your call to ignore me that ended up losing you the game."

Ezreal paled at the mention of this, a look of embarrassment shattered the glare he had across his face.

"All spunk and no skill, that's why Draaaven will always beat your sorry ass."

At this the younger man steeled himself and adjusted the glove that was around hand, taking a step closer towards the two warriors.

"Says that to my face again." He snarled.

The Glorious Executioner laughed as he reached over his shoulder, grabbing an axe and began whirling it in his hand, while his brother readied his weapon.

"I said I'll beat your-"

"Sorry to interrupt your grudge match, but..." I spoke out, getting up from my table and walking in between the two parties.

Out of the corner my eye I saw Braum grabbing onto his shield and Gragas picking up a beer keg looking eager to start a fight; this was going to get bloody real quick if I didn't stop it.

"If you're going to fight do it on the Fields of Justice, there's no need for it now and especially here of all places."

Everyone in the bar turned their gazes to me as Darius spoke in a gruff voice.

"Last time I checked this didn't concern you new guy."

Before I could respond a man stepped from behind Ezreal and stood next to me, looking Darius in the eye.

"I'd go with Inumbris here, he seems to be the smartest one talking right now." He said, my nose was immediately assaulted by the scent of alcohol.

The Hand of Noxus turned his glare over to the stranger, gripping his axe tighter.

"Hey Yasuo, nice to see you drinking yourself senseless again."

The man didn't seemed phased by this, his only reaction was taking out an intricately decorated scabbard from his side and tapping it against the wood flooring.

"Are you saying I can't handle my drink?" His voice while calm held an almost terrifying sharp undertone to it.

The Blood Brothers stood silent as the pair looked from Yasuo to me then to Ezreal before Draven sighed and returned his axe to the back of his armor.

"Come on Darius, I've got places to go and _me _to see." He said before pointing to me, his smirk reforming on his face.

"I'll see you around Inumbris, it'll be fun to kill you." The Glorious Executioner stated nonchalantly before turning on his heels and walking out the door, his older brother following suit.

The moment the two brothers left, the atmosphere lightened almost instantly, while Ezreal thanklessly went back to his seat, Braum let go of his shield, and Gragas set down his beer keg.

I turned to Yasuo who gave me a silent nod before returning back to his table, adjusting his shoulder guard and fixing his massive pony tail.  
With my curiosity piqued I decided to walk over to Braum and Avilius, grab my kettle of tea and head over to Yasuo's table.

"May I join you?" I asked quietly.

The samurai set his blade against the wall before gesturing for me to sit down.

"By all means, I've always said that a sword is poor company."

"I know the feeling" I muttered, putting down the kettle, taking off my scabbard and hanging it on the back of my chair before sitting opposite of the man.  
I poured myself a cup of the herbal fluid, offering the kettle to Yasuo who politely declined as he took a swig from a bottle made of bamboo, I allowed my nerves to calm down from the bloody fight that could have happened.

"So, how do you know my name?" I asked.

The samurai seemed to chuckle at this.

"In the League it's kind of hard not to hear about newcomers and especially since I was there at your judgement."

"I'm guessing that this is a common thing?" I asked, piecing together the man's words.

"There's always excitement for new champions and not being known to at least to every summoner and peers is a miracle in itself." He shrugged, taking another drink from his flask before asking me a question in exchange for mine.

"During your judgement you said that the league would help you towards your goal, may I ask what that is?"

"I want answers, I've been wandering for far too long with the questions that have been plaguing me."

"Fair enough."

"Since you asked me, why did you join the league?"

Yasuo stayed quiet for a few minutes, his eyes scanning me over from my face until his gaze stopped at my neck.

"I want to find the killer that ruined my life." He answered, his voice was bathed in a silent anger as he spoke the word 'killer'

Slightly taken aback by the man's rage I took a moment to look at the person in front of me, a single thought going through my mind.

**You're**** not the only one.**

I nodded to the samurai's sword that leaned against the wall.

"Nice sword, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get it?"

"Many years ago you could say I was rather proficient in the art of a certain wind technique, this is simply the tool I was given to master it."

It was Yasuo's turn to ask me a question.

"Have you ever had to slay a loved one?"

My blood turned to ice as my brain buzzed with the question.  
I looked at the man speechless as the thought of Aphra came into my mind.  
Swallowing my heart from my throat and spoke in a quiet whisper.

"Not by my hand, no, but it was because of my ineptitude that they're dead."

Yasuo's face remained unchanged never breaking eye contact with me unless it was to take another gulp of alcohol.

"You'd be surprised how easily the guilty can see one another... but then again, you wouldn't."

It was true, the moment I laid my eyes upon the man opposite of me I could see the chains of sorrow that held him down, with or without his aura it was still apparent.

"What is your guilt then, Yasuo?"

It was then for one second I saw his resolve crack in the form of a twitch of the mouth as his aura darkened with the memories that he recalled.

"Cutting down the ones you love tend bring out the worst of you, Inumbris."

"Why did you?"

"Because I had no other choice."

I leaned forward against the table and locked my eyes onto his.

"I may not know your situation entirely, Yasuo, but I know it well enough to say that you're wrong. There is _always _another way."

The fallen samurai shook his head.

"Even after all the years of torment Inumbris, you're still naive enough to think that. Don't you think that I haven't recounted every single second of what I have done? There was no other choice and there will never be."

I felt frustration at the man's ignorance, killing was a never a true option, only a lie of a solution that some people desperately clung to.

"I may appear to you as naive but I at least have the knowledge not to repeat the same mistake countless times and believing it to be the only option."

"Your hypocrisy almost makes me laugh, you of all people are telling me that they aren't making the same mistakes I am? I saw the anger you had while fighting Fiora, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that this has plagued you before, Inumbris."

My hairs stood on end as Yasuo's words hit deeper and deeper, sending a flow of electricity through my skin.

"...You're right, but you are doing isn't justice, it is merely-"

"Inumbris, you and I both know that justice is just another pretty word. It is men like us that know that the actions that we have done and the actions that we are going to do make us the unforgivable, but the reason why we act like them is so that others-"

"Don't have to." I interrupted, getting up from my seat and grabbing my sword.

"We may be labeled as monsters, but that doesn't mean we now have the right to justify them, Yasuo."

With that I turned my back to the samurai and walked my way towards Avilius and Braum, unknowing of my conversation with The Unforgiven.

* * *

His words still rand in my ears as I walked along side Braum with Avilius slung over his shoulder.  
Avilius, despite his build, didn't seem to be able to handle much of the Freijlordian mead, meaning after a couple of rounds he had begun to become incoherent and couldn't even walk without tripping over his own two feet.  
I had offered to help stabilize him but Braum shook his head as he picked up the drunken Avilius and placing him on his shoulder.

This left me to my own thoughts as we traveled down the familiar path.

_**"...you of all people are telling me that they aren't making the same mistakes I am? I saw the anger you had..."**_

My stomach twisted into a knot at those words.

Had I truly become what I was accused of being? A monster only to be thrown into the dark?  
Before, I was a memory, a corpse left to rot as the ones I knew died away but with the things I had done...  
Condemning Ujiza and now I was preparing to slice and tear away at my opponents just for the off chance of finding the answers I so desperately wanted.

The three of us stood at the foot of the stairway when Evangeline came running down, a small collection scroll in her hands.

"I've been looking for you!" She exclaimed before coming face to face with me.

"Like I said before, I submitted my notes to the council and they arranged a practice match for you on the summoner's rift, tomorrow."

She stopped for a second and scanned me, a look of concern spread across her face.

"Are you okay?"

"What's the scroll for?" I asked, ignoring her previous question.

"...It's a list of both teams, I thought you'd might want their backgrounds and abilities." She said, handing over the roll of paper to me.

Taking it, I unfurled the parchment and at the top I saw my title, Inumbris; Eternity's Prisoner.

Along with my name were four other champions I have either heard of or seen, however it wasn't until I reached the opposing team did my grip around the scroll tighten and I stopped to read over the same area, making sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

At the very top of the enemy team's list was Azir, The Emperor of the Sands.

"They said that he strode into the council room and demanded to face against you once he found out about the match. He said that with your defeat it would be another step to the rise of Shurima, it's the first time he's ever done something like that." Evangeline explained, her look of concern worsening.

So he knew I was here.  
Questions began clawing their way to the front of my mind;

_**Was he at the judgement?  
What did he mean by the rise of Shurima?  
Does he still believe I was the one that killed Selena?  
**_

"Here are the bios of your allies and enemies...Inumbris..." She said, her voice a distant echo for my ears before I felt her grab my hand and place another roll of paper in my grasp.  
Taking them, I began walking up the steps giving an absent minded 'good night' as trudged away from the group.  
My feet guided me to the room that the Institute transferred me to when I passed my judgement.  
Pushing the door open I sat myself on my bed, grabbed one of the hextech lanterns and switched it on.

The cold blue glow was cast upon the pieces of parchment that lay upon the mattress.  
I took a breath before untying the bios of the champions I'll be seeing tomorrow, I had a long night of reading ahead of me.


	8. Chapter 8: The Emperor of The Sands

My eyes swam with the stories that surrounded the people I was going to fight with and against.  
The tales of heroic actions from a well respected man or the ambiguous rumors of a little known phantom all plagued my mind as the night passed away.  
When the sun's rays finally shined through the window of my room I was hunched over, my back to the wall as I stared emptily at the roll of parchment in my hands.

**_Azir was once a proud emperor of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Valoran's history, until its inevitable destruction._**

_**The happening of this event is still widely unknown to us.**_

_**To many, the swirling sands of the Shuriman desert carry whispers of his return, but how this came to be is mostly unknown as well.**_

_**There have been many times where Azir has referred to himself as "Ascended" this term has been used before by other champions with related ties to Shurima, yet the League's knowledge of what this means is minimum at best.**_

_**However, what is given about this mysterious figure is that he plans to rebuild his fallen kingdom, claiming that the future will be founded upon Shurima's glory and that he will stop at nothing to make this a reality.**_

_**This champion is not underneath protection by the anonymity that the Institution of War provides, and in fact supports his presence being public.**_

The fact that over the thousands of years that had passed and Azir remained the very same arrogant fool brought back memories of the curses I swore against him as I languished away in my prison, obviously they were not met.  
I crumpled Azir's bio and tossed it to the far edge of my room before putting the rest of the documents into the desk by the window.  
It was then I heard a knocking on the door of my room, I opened the door to see Evangeline's excited face in front of me.  
She was carrying a package of some sort in her arms, and from the expression on her face it wasn't a stretch to call it heavy.

"Morning." She spoke, her cheer somewhat constrained by a tone of exhaustion.

"Good morning; did you not sleep well?" I asked.

She shook her head, stifling a yawn that threatened to creep out of her throat.

"Nope, when Avilius decides to drink himself senseless every now again it's hard to put him to bed without him jumping out and trying to hug you."

My mood lightened somewhat at the thought of Avilius being a drunken, over sized bear doll, hugging his sister as she barely kept the both of them from falling to the ground.

I nodded to the box in her hands.

"Having any trouble with that?"

Any weariness Evangeline had on her face evaporated as she slammed the packaging into my arms, more than happy to be rid of the thing.

"It's for you! While I was watching the training sessions you had with Fiora I realized that you might need something a little...sturdier than what you currently have. So I sent out an order for you. I think you'll like it." She explained while pulling off the top of the package, revealing a black and red robe.

Speechless, I lifted the armor from its box and held it in front of me.  
The cloth was mostly black but was lined with a light red pattern along the edges, and surprisingly enough the textile didn't feel flimsy or weak but rather felt like it was woven together by steel.  
The shoulders and neck were covered in a ring of white fur while inside of it was a collar that covered the throat of the wearer.  
There were short wide sleeves that were sewn to the shoulder with large sturdy stitchings.  
At the front, the hip the robe split off into three different sections that revealed the pant legs underneath.

At the bottom of the box were a few pieces of metal, guards that seemed to be meant for the legs and one shoulder along with a pair of brown leather boots.

I looked up to Evangeline, flabbergasted.  
The gift itself was amazing enough that I couldn't come up with the words to thank her that didn't sound fake or insincere.

"Evangeline...I-I don't know what to say, this is amazing." I stuttered, looking back to the summoner.

A smile broke into her features as she waved my astounded expression to the side.

"You can thank me later, for now why don't you try that on and and prepare yourself within an hour or so, I'll be summoning you to the rift soon."

I nodded, still entranced by the armor in my hands, this only seemed to make Evangeline smile more as she said her goodbyes and closed the door behind her.

Without a moment's hesitation I peeled off my travel clothes and slid the robe over my head before slipping into the boots and strapping on my prison as well as the shoulder and shin guards.  
My room provided no mirror so I could only guess how looked as I reached behind my head pulled out my blade.  
The sleeves themselves were wide enough to not restrict my reach but also was light enough so that it didn't hinder my swing.

After I had made sure that everything was fitted comfortably I sat my self down back at my bed, swallowing my unease as I waited for for my cue.  
It wasn't long until Evangeline's voice echoed in my mind.

_**Are you ready?**_

I stood back onto the floor, taking in a breath and relaxed my muscles before I made my response.

"...Ready."

A circle of blue light etched itself around me as it began to grow brighter and block out my room until there was nothing else but the blinding glow.

* * *

Feeling my feet were back on solid ground I opened my eyes and saw that I had finally arrived on the Summoner's Rift.  
To either side stood my allies, all of which seemed eager for the rune barriers in front of us to disappear so that they could charge forward to their designated positions.

The scroll Evangeline gave me described everyone's roles for this match; The Might of Demacia was to head to the upper most lane, The Dark Sovereign was to head to the middle lane, while The Loose Cannon and The Chain Warden were to head to the bottom most lane.

My role was to head to the jungle, I took a glance beyond the walls of our base and into the darkened tree line and didn't feel any more confident about what I was responsible for.

A couple of seconds after the barriers had vanished I felt the pouch tied to my waist being weighed down by the few items I was able to afford.

_**Hope you don't mind but I went ahead and bought your items for you.**_

I shook my head, frankly I was glad she did because besides the few glimpses I got from spectating other matches I had next to no idea what "jungling" needed.

_**Don't worry by the way, this is only a practice match.**_

It was almost as if she could sense my uncertainty, and in all likelihood she could.

"I'm fine." I said aloud, trying to relax myself.

_**Let's head over to Brambleback then. **_Evangeline's voice commanded before she shifted my vision into the jungle and revealed a darkened cave surrounded by trees.

Before I could even jog out of the fountain, two pale arms wrapped themselves around my head as I felt someone on top of my shoulders.  
I was then greeted by deranged, smiling face as Jinx bent over my head to look me in the eyes, her two blue pig tails falling in front of her.

"Onward my noble steed!" The lunatic exclaimed, pointing a finger to the bottom lane.

"Jinx, what are you doing? Get off of me!" I yelled, trying to throw her off my back.

In the next second the feeling of cold metal pressed against my temple, glancing over I saw that Jinx and drawn her weapon from its holster and had it aimed directly into my skull.

"I"m gonna give you to the count of-time's up!" She said, squeezing the trigger of her gun.

I brought up my arms and tried to push it away before I realized that waving in front of my face was a little flag sticking out from the end the barrel.

_Bang._

At this The Loose Cannon laughed psychotically, almost falling off of my shoulders but managing to cling onto my face for stability.  
Her laughs eventually settled down quiet to chuckles before she pushed my head forward and said:

"No but seriously, start moving or I'll start shooting."

Without a moment of hesitation I began jogging down the flattened dirt path until an opening in the treeline presented itself.  
Jinx wasted no time in pulling my cheek and veering me to it until we stopped in front of a familiar cave.  
She jumped off of me before pulling a rocket launcher from her back, which explained why I could barely even carry the woman.

A few seconds later the sound of chains rang through the air as Thresh strode in behind us, his dark, tattered cloak billowing behind him.  
Even from one glance I could feel a sense of dread go through me.  
I had read the Institute's description of him but there was nothing that prepared me for the skeletal specter that stood before me.

The Chain Warden was mostly covered in an old, decrepit, black trench coat, what stuck out at the end of his sleeves were a pair of sickly green, translucent claws that were grasped around a sickle and lantern.  
What the "man" had for a head was a skull bathed in green flame.

The lantern he held shared the same glow as him, and just from the mere presence of it turned my heart to stone as the wails of the warden's victim's emanated from it.

Thresh leaned himself against one of the walls of the cave before reaching a claw into his lantern and pulled out a glowing orb before crushing it in his palm and waiting for it to reform.  
Once it was outside of its prison the soul's cries were agonizingly loud and painful, to me at least.  
Jinx didn't seem to be affected by the cries, almost as if she couldn't hear them, but Thresh had a twisted smile carved into his skull as he passed the time with his plaything.

The thought of fighting together with this demon disgusted me, the only thing that stopped me from wringing the damned creature's neck (besides it appearing to be that he didn't even have one) was the fact that this is what I agreed to.

_**Prepare yourself, Brambleback will be spawning in fifty seconds, Inumbris.**_

I drew out my sword and looked to my allies, as they too were readying themselves for whatever was coming.

"_Evangeline, what exactly is Brambleback?_" I whispered.

_**You'll see.**_

Almost on cue, two red eyes glowed from within the black, gazing down at the three of us with a fierce glare.  
Before I could even comprehend what I was going to fight the creature jumped from out of the darkness and only couple of meters from where we stood.  
Brambleback could have easily towered forty feet above us all as its legs were more akin to tree trunks both in size and appearance.  
The entire body of the creature looked as if it were woven together by branches and vines.

On its hunched back was a fiery red orb that was encompassed by the same snaking vines forming into a dome.

"You expect to me to fight that thing!? You're insane!"

_**That is debatable but it's a little too late for cold feet.**_

As soon I was about to ask what she meant my question was answered by the excited squeal of Jinx firing a rocket at the monster.

Brambleback roared in fury as part of its face was now reduced to a smoldering crater.  
It rose a clawed hand to swipe at The Loose Cannon but was quickly interrupted as Thresh swung his scythe and latched it on to the creature's head before forcing it down to the ground.

I rushed forward, planting my foot on the creature's head and launching myself onto its back.  
I could feel that Thresh had released his hold as Brambleback began lifting itself onto its hind legs in an attempt to throw me off.

My body started to slide down the creature's spine but I quickly latched onto one of the vines once I reached to the center.  
I took my weapon and embedded it into the monster's brittle skin, using the handle as a secondary support.

I looked back to my allies just in time to see as one of Jinx's rockets soar past my face and crash into the roof of the cave, causing the entire structure to shake.

"Whoops!" She spoke as a piece of debris came falling down on top of Brambleback's neck, forcing it back to all fours.

The impact nearly caused me to go flying off of the creature as its front paws threw up a flurry of dust.  
Somewhat shaken, I picked myself up and began hacking away at the protective dome.

**_Shatter the shield and then we can finish it off._**

I slid my the blade of my sword between the gaps of the branches and used it as sort of lever, I was rewarded with a loud crackle as the dome was cracked in half.

From how close I was to Brambleback's source of life I could feel waves of heat radiate from it.

The creature let out another roar as it shook its body, causing me to lose my footing and tumble to the ground.  
The moment I had hit solid earth I looked back up to the monster as it raised a giant paw and slammed it to where I was lying.

I quickly rolled out of the way as the clawed foot smashed into the dirt where I had been only seconds before.  
Getting back up to my feet, I ran back to Thresh and Jinx before turning back to the creature.

Already it was beginning to heal as branches and vines were twisting together in an attempt to fix the wounds.

**_Inumbris, end it._**

My hand now glowed with power as orange electricity arced between my fingers.  
Without a second thought I threw my fist towards Brambleback causing the clouds above to brighten as a bolt of yellow lighting came down and struck the creature through its heart.

Everything around us seemed to stop as Brambleback's skin grew darker, it shuddered as its life was drained away before the enormous beast collapsed to the floor.  
Its body began corroding away until what was left was simply a small pile of ash.

The silence was broken by an excited squeal as Jinx clapped hands together before cheering out.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!"

I was about to sheathe my prison when I noticed that it now had a faint red glimmer along its edge.  
The same warmth that I felt near Brambleback's heart slowly crept through my arm and into my core; I can't say that it wasn't pleasant.

Out of the corner of my vision I saw The Chain Warden saunter over to the little remains of the beast as another soul slowly levitated into the air.  
With an almost child-like joy he scooped up the orb and fitted it into his lantern.

I glared at Thresh as he calmly strode back to the two of us setting whatever gaze he had with two empty sockets onto me.

"You look at me with so much anger, despising what I do, but that only makes the fact that you need me all the more satisfying." He said, his voice was like the voice that would wake you from your sleep in a cold sweat, echoing in your ears as you wonder whether or not it was real.

"I look forward to listening to the tolls of agony from our enemies, Inumbris."

"You disgust me Thresh." I finally spoke out.

At this The Chain Warden let out a sadistic cackle before disappearing through the treeline with Jinx following behind.

Once their footsteps faded away and their auras a mere tug at the back of my mind I then journeyed deeper into the jungle.

* * *

"**First Blood...An ally has been** **slain.**"The announcement rang throughout the Summoner's Rift, snapping my attention away from the pack of wolves I was currently fighting.

While the largest of the three lay still in the dirt, its body disintegrating into dust, one of the smaller cubs leaped forward its jaws aimed for my throat.  
I quickly brought an arm out as the wolf dug its teeth into my robes.  
The beast's teeth barely even bit through the fabric as I brought the handle of my sword to its snout, making it yelp in pain before I slashed my blade through its neck.

**_Inumbris-It's okay Dylan just stop swearing-Inumbris head to the mid lane, we need you keep the minion wave from pushing forward._**

Nodding, I began running through the twisting dirt paths and side stepping monster camps before the brush fell aside and I was at a familiar road.  
As I expected a hoard of enemy minions were charging towards the tower, stepping blindly over the fallen Syndra, however there were no other champions in sight.

"Evangeline, where did Azir disappear to?"

_**I don't know, I just assumed that he recalled back to base.**_

Skeptical, I narrowed my gaze, scrutinizing the swirling and morphing shapes that hid within the reaches of my vision.

For a few short minutes nothing happened, the constant tug of the other champions' auras were about as discernible as the thick fog that surrounded me.  
I relaxed before heading over to the small platoon of puppets and absentmindedly executed them one by one as another wave of my own came to my aid.

_**Syndra will be there soon, if you could push the wave forward that would help her get back into place.**_

Following orders I walked with the miniature soldiers as they met in the middle of the two towers before they started thoughtlessly thwacking at one another.

It was then I felt a sudden rush as a guard came sweeping in, slicing through a couple of my minions before missing me by an inch.  
Out of the shadows stepped Azir, his golden armor gleaming in the ambient light as his staff glowed brighter the closer he got to me.  
Despite how far we were apart I could still see the glare that emanated from his helmet as he called out to me.

"We meet again Inumbris! This time you do not have the cover of treachery to hide behind!"

With that he rose a hand and pointed to the soldier behind me which at command took its spear and stabbed it towards me.  
I had no time to even react as the tip of the weapon tore through the side of my robes and left a light cut in my rib cage.  
Taking my sword I swing upwards in attempt to knock the spear away from me only to watch as my blade passed through the image.

I took a couple steps back as I looked o The Emperor of The Sands, my chest filling with fury as all the memories of what he had done threw themselves to the forefront of my mind.  
Rage stronger than anything I had felt in many years surged through my limbs, powering my legs as I began sprinting towards the enemy mage.

I threw my prison at Azir aiming the blade directly at his core, but before it could even get close, the Emperor waved his hand summoning a line of guards with shields as they locked together to form a wall.

"No matter befalls upon them, my soldiers march on!" He declared.

My weapon bounced harmlessly off of the line of shields and landing a couple of feet away from them.  
It was then the middle soldiers exploded back into sand as their emperor sauntered through, summoning another guard before pointing to me.

"Bury him."

My body tensed as I prepared to jump aside and make an attempt towards my weapon, but whatever strength I had left me as the guard's face became recognizable.  
The air became thick as my motions were sluggish and slow, not even able to dodge the incoming attack.  
In the next moment a searing pain stretched across my shoulder as the spear stabbed through me with a sickening _crack._

It was impossible, out of all the guards of Shurima Aphra now stood in front of me, her face was an emotionless glare as she pushed her weapon deeper into my upper body at Azir's command.

"Aphra?" I choked, my voice was gone and the rage in my heart was now replaced with guilt.

The image didn't respond, only glaring past me as she awaited the next order.  
I reached out my uninjured arm in an attempt to grab onto her but my fingers merely passed through her.

"...I-I'm so sorry..." I whispered.

My body was jerked forward as the sand soldier wrenched out her weapon and straighten herself.  
My arm fell limply to my side, darkened ash pouring from the wound as I took a step closer to Aphra.

"Aphra...p-please...I'm so sorry." I began to sob, my eyes stung but no tears came.

"It's all my fault... I am so, so sorry." I cried, lowering my head to her chest.

"P-please...please just say something to me...let me hear your voice again..."

She said nothing, as time passed, her image shifted and distorted before her figure disintegrated back into sand.  
I fell to my knees, the fight I had in me was gone and I had no fear in whatever Azir was going to do.  
The crunching of dirt met my ears as two clawed feet stepped in front of me.

"You broke your oath and murdered a noble which in turn gave help to Xerath's plans of anarchy. You are a monster, an enemy of the state of Shurima...WHY ARE YOU NOT ACTING LIKE ONE?" Azir yelled, the anger in his voice was apparent, however underneath all of it there was a small tone of uncertainty.

"Bring her back..." I muttered, still gazing at the ground.

"What?" There was only confusion in his tone now.

"Bring. Her. Back." I gritted my teeth together as I craned my neck up to the emperor.

"Do not be absurd, I cannot bring back certain soldiers _at will."  
_  
"I wasn't talking about the damned sand soldier!" I hissed, getting back up to my feet, causing the emperor to take a step back.

"It's because of you she's dead! Because you refused to listen!" My voice grew steadily louder with each word and each step towards Azir.

"These are lies from the corrupt!" He responded, pointing his staff to my chest to try and keep the distance between us.

I slapped it aside and took another step.

"Why would I lie when I ALREADY HAD RECEIVED MY PUNISHMENT!? WHAT DO I HAVE TO GAIN? I DIDN'T KILL SELENA, I NEVER TRIED TO BETRAY SHURIMA, IT WAS XERATH WHO KILLED HER AND YOU BELIEVED HIM!"

"Impossible..."

"WHAT'S IMPOSSIBLE YOUR HIGHNESS? THAT YOU WERE WRONG? THAT YOU CONDEMNED AN INNOCENT MAN TO THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TORTURE? OR THE FACT THAT EVEN AFTER THESE MANY EONS YOU STILL BELIEVED ONE OF XERATH'S LIES?"

Eventually, my screams were met with silence as Azir neglected to say anything more to me.  
I let out a bitter laugh as his hawk-like glare now just searched me for answers.

"Even with Ascension and the lifespan of a god you still remain as ignorant as the first day you were appointed emperor. Still believing that pretty words alone will uphold a nation."

It was then Azir seemed to pull himself back together, his glare returning.

"You dare to speak to an emperor in this way? You dare oppose me!?"

"You're an emperor of what Azir? Shurima is dead, it's nothing more than sand and dust."

At this The Emperor of The Sands gave a smug chuckle.

"You call _me _ignorant yet you still do not know. Shurima will return to its former glory, however there will be nothing left for traitors and anarchists to hide behind this time."

My body felt hollow as did the words I drew out reflected its emptiness.

"Traitors and anarchists... those who you would call 'monsters'... Yet who else would take the blame when something goes wrong, Azir. Who would you point to and condemn for all of your problems? No, you _want _monsters, Azir, in fact you _need them. _And guess what? You wanted a monster, you've got one." I growled.

"What are you sa-" Was all he managed to get out before I slammed myself forward, knocking the both of us to the ground.

The moment his back hit the dirt Azir pointed his staff, its center glowing brighter with whatever he planned to strike me with, yet with an almost frightening amount of ease I stomped my foot onto his wrist, sending the weapon flying.

I sat myself across his chest, looking down at the emotionless helmet that stared back up at me.  
Placing my other foot on his arm, I effectively pinned Azir to the ground as I used my only functioning arm.  
I wrapped my fingers around a nearby rock, gripping it tighter while I could feel its edges cut deeper into my palm.

"You wanted a monster." I whispered before bringing the rock to one of his eyes.

The emperor let out a yell of pain, as I lifted the stone I could see that where one of the glowing orbs had been was now replaced with bent metal and a steady stream of sand flowing down the side of his face.

"You. Wanted. A Monster." I repeated, slamming the rock into the gilded beak of his helmet and hearing the sound of it crumpling underneath the force.

My hand felt like every bone inside was broken but I continued anyway.  
I brought the rock down to Azir's face a couple more times before I stopped, my shoulder blade was screaming in pain but I guessed it was a mere fraction of what he was feeling.

"YOU WANTED A MONSTER!"

Looking down at what was now barely recognizable as The Emperor of The Sands, I lifted the stone into the air for one last blow before two words stopped me in my tracks.

"R-rexas...p-please..." he choked, hardly even able to spit out his words.

I dropped the rock to the side as I scrambled off of my opponent.  
Stopping a couple of feet away, my stomach twisted in horror as the realization of what had happened dawned upon me.

"I fell too far again..." I mumbled, staring down at my broken hand as ash bled from the lacerations.

"Rexas..." I heard Azir call out a few feet away.

"D-don't call me by that name! He died when I failed to speak the truth...when I broke my oath and allowed all those lives to whither away...I-we don't deserve second chances, Azir. We failed once before, we shouldn't be given the power to fail a second time."

Silence fell onto the two of us as a blue line began etching into the dirt around the emperor, its light shining brighter in each passing second.

"You're wrong..." He said as in the next second his body disappeared.

Slowly getting back up to my feet, I grabbed my prison and slid it back into its scabbard before stumbling my way through the brush and into the shallow river that ran through the Summoner's Rift.

**_Inumbris?_**

I froze, this entire time I had forgotten that Evangeline was with me every step of the way.

"Yes?"

_**Are you okay?**_

"To be completely honest, no; no I'm-" I answered before a quiet chittering from above stopped my thoughts.

I looked upwards only to see as giant shadow crash into me, smashing me into the water.  
My vision was blurred and I could feel water starting to pour into my lungs as I panicked and pushed myself above the surface.  
Gasping in air, I blinked away the water only to see eight glossy, red eyes looking down at my own.

"_Well what do we have here, little fly?_" A dark voice hissed somewhere from the giant black spider on top of me.

I couldn't move, with one arm useless and my only weapon pinned behind me, I was completely helpless.

"I am not one of your followers, Elise, do not toy with me."

I knew fully well what the spider was capable of and what she did to keep it.  
There were stories of a cult that devoted complete faith into a figure only known as "The Spider God" whose blessing could strengthen any mortal life.  
Yet with each passing year The Spider Queen never seemed to age while those who traveled to the isles of their god, never seemed to return, except for their leader of course.

In the next few seconds the giant arachnid was cloaked in a haze of red before I could feel the the appendages that pinned me down morph into slender hands.  
After the red haze had disappeared the eight eyes were now replaced with two piercing crimson orbs as a roguish smile was stretched across her lips.  
While both her arms were used to hold me down , four spider-like limbs protruded from her back as she used most of them to keep her balance while training the last one right between my eyes.

The clothes she wore, (using the term "clothes" with the severest degree of sarcasm) wrapped along her sides but stopped at her stomach and chest, allowing...other parts besides her legs to stick out.

"Oh but, my little fly, where is the fun in that?" She cooed, lowering herself closer to me slowly.

"It'd be a lot more if I could reach behind me." I snarled, leaning my upper body forward in an attempt to throw off Elise's grip.

In response the spider queen calmly laid an appendage on top of my shoulder's wound and used her free hand to push me back down near the water's edge.  
She stuck out her index finger and began tapping a venomous looking nail on my chin, turning her gaze away from me and feigning a puzzled look.  
It was after a moment she set her eyes back down onto me and lowered herself next to my ear, I could feel her breath on my neck.

"I have a better idea." She whispered before I felt her sink her teeth into my skin, the entire side of my upper body was now on fire as Elise dug deeper into my neck.

I could hear myself scream but I couldn't stop it, any thought or action was immediately obliterated by the wall of fire half of my body seemed to be covered in.  
The Spider Queen lifted herself back up to her feet, the smile on her face never fading as she stepped away and disappeared into the fog of war.

_**Inumbris, get back to base, we can heal you, everything will be fine.**_

I grasped at my throat as the scar on my neck felt almost like it was now being split apart.  
Sitting up, I pull the sword from its scabbard and used it as a support for getting to my feet, but the world began to spin, making me lose balance and collapse back to my knees.

**_Inumbris stay with me, recall back to base and everything will be fine just-_**

It was then I heard it, a loud _crack _like piece of glass being snapped in half, I look down to my sword only to find that it was now in shatters.  
I dropped the handle into the river as the pain now spread throughout my entire body, it felt like I was being cut apart.

I brought my hand to my head, just to watch in horror as it was covered in a spiderweb of cracks as now parts of my fingers were falling away into the water below.  
The same sickening crack rang through my mind as I felt my face begin to fracture up my cheek and for the slightest of moments I saw it splinter across my vision before darkness covered my right eye.

I look to the sky, my dying wails being cut short as I shattered to pieces.


	9. Chapter 9: The Battle

**-Azir-  
**  
The moment I had returned back to my base, sight had returned to my eye while my helmet had been repaired to its usual splendor.  
I stand back up onto my feet, using the end of my staff as a balance.  
Despite the fact that I had now lost count how many times the fountain had reliably healed whatever wounds I came back with, it was still both unsettling and miraculous that severe trauma would disappear in a matter of seconds.

Again, I was thankful for the mask that separated my features from the outside world, as a familiar feeling of disgrace seized in my chest.

Had I blundered yet again? Had I, Azir, the Emperor of the Sands, still blindly followed what that traitor whispered to me, even after these many years I had known of his true intent.

Had I damned a perfectly virtuous man or was it all just another lie?  
But then there's the question of why; why would he lie when already he had served his time for the consequences of his supposed actions?

_**Azir, what in the hell were you thinking, why didn't you just kill him?**_

I quickly silence the summoner's message, his questionable advice alone was enough for me to leave his words unanswered.  
Crossing my arms in thought, I allow the ambient sounds of the rift to take over my senses as I processed each inquiry that pulled at my thoughts.

It was after a few moments of silence did I finally subconsciously nod to myself, confirming my next actions.

Originally I had declared to the council that it was through Inumbris' defeat would Shurima take yet another step forward towards its former glory, but now under a new light of truth I would analyze his intentions, find the heart of his thoughts and seize my answers.

With this I began striding back down the center lane, my confidence reestablishing itself with each following step I made.  
Like Renekton, Rexas may have forgotten himself, he may have forgotten to whom his oath was to, but that wouldn't stop me as I knew no matter how broken of a mind he may have, it will mend itself once he sees what I have seen.

* * *

-**The Healer-**

I was floating, surrounded by darkness and for one horrible moment I thought that I was back inside my prison.  
However this thought was quickly banished when I looked below to find the summoner's rift beneath me, yet it almost appeared to be behind a pane of glass.  
I tried extending an arm to place my palm against the "window" but I soon realized that I had no arm, no hand, not even a body of some kind.

In that moment the image of summoner's rift began to move as it shifted from one champion to another.  
It finally stopped and began focusing on the bottom lane with Thresh and Jinx facing off against Vayne, The Night Hunter and a familiar shield-toting strongman.

The ally wave was pushing forward into the enemy tower as Braum and Vayne began to retreat behind their own minions.  
Jinx pulled out her handgun from its holster and fired a bolt of electricity towards the enemy carry, whom rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the attack but placing herself out of cover.

Thresh seemed to have expected this because without a moment of hesitation he flung his scythe at The Night Hunter and smiled as it had hit its mark.  
The hook dug itself into Vayne's shoulder, The Chain Warden then dragged his victim to the ground and began pulling her towards certain death.

Braum leaped forward and attempted to reach his fallen ally but soon came under fire from jinx.  
He held out his shield and in the next second a frost grew over its surface until a thick sheet of ice now enclosed around the door.  
The bullets dug into the ice causing it to crackle, however it still managed to hold itself together.

Reaching out an arm, The Heart of the Freljord grabbed onto the chain and pulled against Thresh in a deadly game of tug of war.  
This created just enough slack for Vayne to achingly pull the scythe from the wound and get to her feet.

With his ally falling back, Braum followed suit until they were at a safe enough distance behind their tower again, since Vayne was a little worse for wear her summoner began recalling her to base.

The Heart of the Freljord relaxed somewhat as he waited for his carry to disappear, there was no way that The Loose Cannon could engage without putting herself in mortal danger.  
However that's exactly what happened, in a blink of golden light Jinx was underneath the enemy tower, its sights already lining up on her.  
Both Braum and Vayne were caught completely off guard as The Loose Cannon pulled out her pistol and fired, the bolt finding its mark directly in The Night Hunter's chest.

Vayne fell face first into the ground, her aura fading away before all light in her body was snuffed out.

**"An enemy has been slain." **

The tower fire a ball of pure energy towards Jinx as Thresh tossed his lantern at her feet.

"See ya, Mister Mustache!" She mocked as the projectile was only inches from her face.

She waved enthusiastically at the support before grabbing ahold of it and shifting from sight, eventually reappearing at Thresh's side, his lantern now back in his hands as the tower shot crashed into the earth, leaving a crater where the carry once stood.

My vision faded as the face of a disappointed looking Braum disappeared within the fog of war.  
The only window to the summoner's was immediately shut off, plunging me back into the familiar darkness.  
I felt my non-existent body begin to descend until my consciousness drifted away, almost like I was falling asleep.

Before I knew what had happened, I was standing back at the fountain like what I had just experienced never happened.  
For a second my heart raced as I reached my arm behind me and wrapped my fingers around the handle of my sword.

It was still there, still intact after I had _seen _it break apart in my hands.  
One of the worst _what ifs _that had haunted me became a reality, but now was reduced a painful memory of something that all living things fail to comprehend.

I died.

_**The first death is always the hardest, or so I've been told.**_

"How powerful are you summoners?" I asked, my chest still feeling like my heart was trying to beat its way out.

_**What do you mean? **_

"To be able to store entire souls and restore the bodies of the fallen...that amount of power..."

_**Like I said when we first met, The Institute of War has complete control of this area and that when you were training with Fiora we were establishing a connection between you and The Nexus. Without either of these facts we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.  
**  
_Her words sent a cold chill down my spine, rather than providing any comfort.  
I felt the pouch on my belt lighten somewhat as a new-found strength poured into my limbs.

_**Let's go.**_

* * *

Time ticked by as the match continued to progress with each team constantly trying to overpower the other in their respective lanes.  
Evangeline and myself were thrown into a game of balancing between running through the jungle and clearing out the reappearing monster camps while also having to provide help to my allies.

I was in the middle of fighting an enormous toad or "Gromp" as Evangeline called it when Garen's request for assistance, causing me to hurry my skirmish with the frog.  
Each time the creature struck me it felt as if I was being backed handed with the power of god, leaving me a little worse for wear, however I finally did manage to land the "killing" blow as Gromp then erupted in an explosion of gas and slime, leaving behind a smaller version of itself.

I immediately began to make my through the forested paths until I reached the edge of the brush, peering through the grass while trying to make myself unknown.  
Behind the two combating waves was The Might of Demacia himself and a short, fuzzy creature, its orange fur bristling in the wind as it hopped from head to head and throwing what looked like a sharpened bone with teeth jutting from its sides.

Gnar happily tossed his makeshift boomerang while pouncing on the heads of both ally and enemy minions, while Garen seemed to be in a state of disrepair, his face having a few very nasty gashes while his bulky armor was dented in certain areas.

As the waves continued to battle, Gnar happily executed his enemy minions, occasionally switching himself into a hand stand and waving his bottom at his opponent.

Confused, I raise an eyebrow as two and two didn't quite come together, the cuts and bruises across The Might of Demacia's face were understandable enough, the kind of weapon Gnar carried would never have the strength of breaking his opponent's armor like that.

I continued to analyze the situation, silently asking Evangeline what I was missing, whom didn't seem to see the need to reply.

Garen's eyes looked across the brush until his gaze stopped at me.  
Immediately he snapped his attention back to the yordle, holding out his blade while sticking out three fingers on his right hand.

_Three._

He began walking his way in the brush on the opposite end of the lane from me, bring down one of his digits.

_Two._

Hiding himself into the bushes, Gnar seemed to ignorant to this fact as he nonchalantly pushed the minion waves forward.

_One._

"DEMACIAAAAAAA!" The soldier hollered as he began spinning in circles with his blade drawn out in front of him, making his way towards the small creature.

I jumped from my spot just as Gnar had launched itself from Garen's head and onto the ground behind him.

"DEMAGLIOOOO!" It taunted as The Missing Link rushed towards its ally turret.

Throwing my sword, I pulled myself to its location before tearing at the little yordle's aura, causing it to stumble on its path towards the tower.

Gnar turned towards me, its cutesy manner was gone now as its face was twisted into a glare.  
Before I could think what to do next the creature's fur turned red, its fangs growing larger as I heard the sounds of shifting bones and readjusting muscles.  
Standing in front of me was no longer a small, harmless-looking yordle, but now a towering blood thirsty beast that did not at all look too happy with me.

"GNAAAAAAAARRR!"

I flashed my eyes between Garen's disheveled condition and back to the roaring monstrosity as it all became _very _apparent to me now.

"Oh."

With a swipe of his arms I was sent flying through the air and into the nearby rock wall.  
As my spine crashed into the stone I could feel the air get knocked out of me before I fell to the ground, the world now just a blur of pain.  
I could hear the battle continuing between the Demacian soldier and the "yordle", the sounds of roaring and clashing of metal reverberating through out the lane.

Shakily, I got back up to my feet, blinking away the haze in my vision before running back into the fray.  
Gnar brought his arms up into the air and smashed them down towards Garen, who jumped backwards, narrowly dodging the crushing blow.

In that moment I sprinted towards the beast which had already noticed me and began lifting a boulder with one arm and preparing to throw it.  
Hastily, I fling my sword towards the creature, making sure that the blade dug into its arm, causing it to drop its impromptu weapon.  
It howled in anger as it tried to reach with its other arm to pull out my prison but in a flash I was already on top of it with both hands gripping tightly on the flappy ears it had on either side of its head.

I pulled on them with whatever strength I could muster in an attempt to reign Gnar away from the tower.  
However, this only seemed to make my plan backfire as instead The Missing Link decided to instead now shake its head from side to side, trying to throw me off.  
I clung on for dear life as my lower body was flung about, just hoping for all that was decent that Garen would give me some assistance.

In the midst of Gnar's roars and the air swishing around my ears I could hear the yell from the Demacian soldier.

"Get off of him!"

Complying, I simply let go, allowing the beast to throw me a couple of feet into the air before I landed with a _thump _into the dirt.

"JUSTICE!" The warrior screamed as he stabbed his weapon into the ground.

For a second nothing happened, making me question Garen's sanity as he continued to stab his blade into the earth.

It was then, out of the corner of my vision I saw a yellow glint in the sky as it began to grow until I could distinguish that it was giant golden sword, flying at high speeds directly to our general area.

I swiftly rolled away a couple more feet away as the projectile collided with the giant beast, throwing up a sandstorm of dust and causing the ground around the impact to splinter apart.

Once everything had settled I could see that within the crater lay Gnar, his body having returned back to its smaller version, his fur bloodied at matted, sending a surge of guilt through me, like I had been apart of executing an innocent animal.

Seeing that his laning opponent was dead, The Might of Demacia merely charged forward with his minion wave towards the enemy turret before mercilessly thwacking at the base of its structure with his blade, leaving me speechless as I tried to piece together what to do next.

* * *

The early and middle stages of the match had ended, lanes were won and lost for both sides as we began to form together and compete for objectives.  
In our failure to group together any earlier the enemy team had managed to decimate our mid lane's second tower, (which was already in shambles) continuing forward and destroying the third before we gathered our senses and fought them back.

Jinx, Thresh, and I were finishing off the dragon, in its last few seconds it gave a guttural screech, fire spewing forth from its breath before it was all ended by a bolt of orange lightning.

Inspired by the newly given strength the three of us decided to regroup in the middle lane with The Dark Sovereign and prioritized the enemy's secondary tower.

With the combined power of the four of us and the small remnants of a minion wave we were able to take down the structure with ease, and surprisingly enough with no counterattack immediately afterwards.

With most of the team forcing the waves down the middle lane and Garen split pushing the upper most lane, we expected to face at least some sort of resistance.

While we said nothing, we all knew that something was amiss as the forest trees that surrounded us became ever more menacing within the fog of war.

Untying my pouch I grabbed onto a small, round seed that was no more than a couple centimeters in diameter and tossed it into the gloom.  
Almost immediately I could see a tiny glow shine from within the dark and blossom until it was a fully grown ward, its light shedding away a layer of the mist, and yet still nothing.

I could feel a slight unease well in my stomach and a quick glance at my allies told me they were feeling something similar as well.  
However, as a group we still marched forward until the forest ground ended and was replaced with old, weathered cobblestone, the statue that guarded the enemy base towered over all of us as a lone minion rushed for and went to strike it.

This time instead of a ball of energy, a beam shot downward into the minion and quickly disintegrated the poor thing until there was nothing left but a charred cloak.

_**Inumbris.**_

The doubt in Evangeline's voice told me enough for what she was asking.  
I closed my eyes a began shutting away the auras that tugged at my mind until I began focusing on the five I was looking for.

Soon after I regretted that decision.

Five silhouettes of energy were surrounding us, two coming from the left and right while one was coming from behind.

"Stop." I whispered, just loud enough for my teammates to hear.

I held out two fingers and motioned them to either side while pointing one behind my back.  
I couldn't tell whether or not they understood what I was messaging but we didn't have the time to elaborate as the enemy was quickly closing in around us.

It was going to be four against five, while The Might of Demacia was rushing the top lane, hopefully we were going to able to hold them off until reinforcements of one arrived.

If we couldn't, then there wouldn't be any of us left to keep them from ending the match.

I readied my sword, as I felt my allies prepare themselves as well for the fight that was inevitably going to come to us.  
The sound of rustling grass soon met my ears causing me to snap my head towards that general direction as a vibrant bundle of fur came bouncing towards us.

Jinx opened fire on Gnar but it was too late as the yordle grew in size and ferocity until it was his gigantic counterpart.

From the opposite side came Vayne, readying her crossbow while Braum was following close behind.  
Thinking quickly, I flung my sword towards the Night Hunter only for it to be intercepted by a frost covered shield and a smiling strongman.  
The blade sunk through the frost and partly embedded into the door itself.

"See Inumbris, isn't this fun?" He said, as the enemy carry maneuvered to fire.

In an act of sheer stupidity I pulled myself to the Heart of the Freljord, tearing my prison from the door before stepping over the support's head and swinging my weapon at Vayne.

Caught off guard, she rolled backwards away from the blow and disappeared for the briefest of seconds before reappearing, launching a bolt straight for my heart.

I brought the flat of my blade to my chest, causing the arrow to glance off and miss its intended target before charging forward and stabbing my prison towards her stomach.  
However, before I could even reach her I felt a fist bring itself down on the top of my head, making me stumble and lose my footing.

The Night Hunter saw this opportunity before loading what looked like a stake and fired it towards me, this time I wasn't so lucky as the bolt caught me at the waist and sent me backwards into a wall where the wooden stake effectively pinned me to it.

Crying out, I fumble my hands around the projectile and attempt to yank out from me as both Braum and Vayne were closing in, the latter already lining up her sights.

It was then an orb of dark energy collided with the support, firing him through the air while an enemy minion was sung down at the enemy carry with the same dark force.

Syndra, levitated forwards throwing orb after orb at the Night Hunter, giving me the time to painfully pull out the stake and dive forward.  
With no help, no other tricks up her sleeve, and two champions pressing down on her, I bring my sword through the carry's chest before she went limp and fell to the ground.

The both of us turned around to join in with Jinx and Thresh whom were now facing against Gnar and Azir, while The Spider Queen was still nowhere to be found.  
Our allies were both looking haggard as The Emperor of the Sands and The Missing Link continued their onslaught.  
While Jinx was firing haphazardly at the emperor, Thresh was flaying his scythe wildly at the gigantic beast in an attempt to keep him at bay.

However, their actions proved to futile as Azir commanded his increasing number of soldiers to slowly lock both champions into a tight choke point.  
With them both backed into a corner, the emperor shifted almost as if the sands themselves were propelling him behind the two.

Only a hair's breath away from the Chain Warden, and Loose Cannon, Azir sent forward a line of soldiers knocking the two of them head over heels.  
Gnar then leapt forward, thrashing his arms into and sending them flying backwards into the shielded guards.

He didn't waste any time in stomping forward over to the discombobulated Thresh before raising his arms into the air before crushing them down on top of him.  
After that the Chain Warden no longer moved as a green orb levitated from his chest and into his lantern while the Missing Link set his sights on Jinx.

"**An ally has been slain.**"

I charged forward, sword at the ready and The Dark Sovereign by my side, only to be interrupted as a gigantic boulder came launching forth and striking her, sending the mage into a wall, in the next second I heard a gut wrenching _squelch_, the stone wall was now coated in a splatter of red.

"**Double kill.**"

Gnar had turned his back on the Loose Cannon, facing me as a growl escaped from his lips.  
All that I heard was soon drowned out by the steady beating of my heart while time seemed to slow as I continued to charge forward.

The giant creature roared as he too began moving forward.

**_Inumbris, when I say jump, jump._**

We were only a couple meters away, Gnar's mouth hung open, revealing several rows of sharp teeth that were paired the tusks he had on either side of his face, both were poised to impale me in a few seconds' time.

_**JUMP!**_

At command my feet left the ground and in a flash of golden light I was no longer face to face but sitting on top of the giant rampaging creature.

Before it could even realize its situation I plunged my sword through Gnar's neck up to the handle.

The Missing Link let out a a quiet growl that was reduced to a desperate gurgle before it tumbled over its own feet and came to a crashing halt.

Pulling my prison from the creature's throat, I hop back to the ground, flicking the blade making a line of blood spattered across the dirt before I turned back to Jinx, only to find that The Emperor of the Sands was now gone.

I ran over to her, who was lying in the dirt, still disorientated from the attack.  
Though I have had years of medical experience, I didn't particularly need it to tell that the human leg was _not _supposed to bend the way it currently was, I should've been grateful that at least the fibula hadn't punctured through her skin.  
Kneeling down beside the injured carry, I take her leg in my hands causing her usual insane smile to crumble somewhat with a grimace.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." she whined as I moved her broken appendage back into place then feeling for the fracture point.

"Sorry, is this where it hurts the most?" I asked, applying a slight pressure just below the knee.

She squirmed like a child that poked their own bruise (albeit in this case it was significantly worse.)

"OW, OW-YES."

I quickly stopped pressing, and threw an apologetic look.  
In the past I had dealt with with many broken bones but in those cases I wasn't exactly in the middle of a small war.  
I couldn't send her back to the fountain either, with three missing enemy champions and Garen presumably still in the top lane.  
Together we needed to keep the lane pressured in the hopes that maybe we'll be able to infiltrate their base or at the very least make it so that they couldn't come walking down to our doorstep.

"Jinx, this is going to hurt but I need you to stay still to make sure your leg heals properly...hopefully."

She nodded, still unsure of what I was even talking about.  
I gently wrapped my hands around the fracture, closing my eyes as I began to focus the energy from my hands and into the wound.  
In the next second I could the bone begin to repair itself while any tendons or muscles that were torn slowly sew themselves back together again.

Pulling my hands away, I get back up my feet and extended a hand towards her.

"You should be fine now." I reassured her, before she took my hand and got onto her own two feet.

The look on the Loose Cannon's face was somewhat surprised as she tested her now uninjured appendage before her psychotic grin returned.

"Sweet! Let's go shoot things again!" She said before running down a path to the mid lane.

"...You're welcome."

* * *

"**Your team has destroyed a turret.**"

The announcement came as soon as a large explosion of arcane energy erupted from the tops of the trees.

"Looks like Garen finally got the job done." I commented towards Jinx who happily ignored me and continued firing at the crumbling structure.

After a few moments the air was filled with the exact same words the center lane tower fell, the Loose Cannon giggling madly as she sprinted forward more than happy to set her sights on the inhibitor.

"**Your team has destroyed an inhibitor.**"

Confused, I look over to see that the Might of Demacia had already cleaved through the crystalline container and was now charging towards the finally defenses that the enemy had.

Could we do it? Could we actually finish this now?

Feeling my own morale rise, I joined in with Jinx as we together now decimated the construct.  
Soon the enemy base was stormed with allied minions as they mindless beat against the last remaining towers ignoring the fact that their fellow comrades be obliterated into dust.

However, the thought of Elise, Azir, and Braum still missing never left my mind.  
While my allies where busy tearing away at the Nexus turrets I was anxiously scanning both into the fog of war and into the enemy's fountain.

Evangeline seemed to share my concern as she tried to justify why we were over extending.

**_We can finish this now, whether or not they're planning something shouldn't matter, they've lost their chance to stop it._**

Oh how I wish that she was right.  
A beam of blue light touched onto the platform and from it The Emperor of the Sands came forth, running towards the two champions, however in addition to the golden glow his armor gave off there was a radiance of orange around him.  
Summoning a line of soldiers, Azir pointed to my allies with a clawed finger.

"Kill."

The two guards surged forward towards the Loose Cannon as she tried to back away, however before she could even do so one spear found its mark and ran through her stomach.  
As Jinx fell to the ground the guards lined up their weapons before finishing their job with a final plunge through her chest and forehead.

_**Shit, they've got dragon-Inumbris, I've made a terrible mistake, GET OUT OF THERE NOW.**_

I throw a glance back to the Might of Demacia who was now laying the final blow to one of the towers as it shattered into pieces.  
Turning around I began to retreat only to come face a large, red spiderling leaping into me.  
The moment the creature contacted me it detonated in a large blast of venom, covering the right side of my neck and face.

I was consumed by a familiar searing pain as I could feel my skin begin to corrode away into dust.  
Falling to the ground, clasping my face I scream out in anguish, the world barely visible anymore.  
I opened my left eye to see both Elise and Braum were running towards me, both of them enveloped by the blessing of the dragon.

The Heart of the Freljord jogged past me, shield ready to combat against the Demacian soldier.  
Dread soon filled me at the realization that I was left for The Spider Queen.  
Quickly scrambling to my feet I removed my hand away from my face and grip it around the handle my of sword.

Half of my vision was now blurred with most of my right eye being severely damaged.  
I point the blade at Elise as a threat to try and keep some distance between us but she didn't seemed fazed in the slightest.

"You are determined, I'll give you that." She said softly, a deadly smile stretched across her lip.

"Back away from me, Elise." I growled, failing to disguise the fear I had in my tone as I took a step backwards.

At this she laughed, still never tearing her crimson orbs away from me.

"You should just relax, Inumbris, it'll all be over soon."

Taking a few more steps back, I fought the urge to blink as my vision grew more and more impaired.

"DO NOT TAKE ONE STEP CLOSER." I yelled, the sound of another explosion resonated through the site.

"**You team has destroyed a...An ally has been slain."**

I risked a glance behind me to find that Garen now lay motionless on the stoned floor, gaping gnashes were strewn across his armor as blood pooled from his body.

Snapping my attention back to The Spider Queen who was still sauntering closer to me.  
I moved until my back had hit the edge of the Nexus, in my peripheral vision I could see that Braum and Azir were doing nothing against me, I was Elise's prey.

The look across Braum's face had lost all of its cheer, only a solemn stare of apology as he waited for my end; even Azir seemed to avoid his gaze from me.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." The queen chided, slowly inching her way to me, enjoying the look of sheer terror I most likely had.

My heart was racing now as my breath had increased as well, gripping the handle of my sword tighter and tighter like it was my last lifeline, and in all likelihood it was.

"I won't give you the chance." I whispered before raising my prison above my head and taking a swing at the crystal.

It never had the chance to connect with the crystal as a glob of sticky webbing wrapped around my hands and stuck them to the gem.  
My last hope for survival was gone.

"Did you really think that it was going to be that easy?"

I take in a shaky breath, trying to stop my heart from bursting out of my chest.

"I-in all honesty...yes."

The Spider Queen did nothing but stare at me as her irises turned from crimson to black before the appendages she had on her back grew longer and longer while her skin formed hard, black chitin.  
In mere seconds she had morphed back into her spider form, a lone spiderling following along side.

I began to pull desperately at my bindings, my hands were still gripped around my sword if I only just tear webbing away.  
It was then Elise leaped forward, her mandibles opened as I brought out my foot hindered her trajectory.  
Without a second thought she closed her mouth around my leg, easily cutting through the leather of my boots and slicing into my skin.

The agony had shot up my leg but it didn't stop me from trying harder and harder to release my hands.  
After a few seconds I couldn't even feel my foot anymore and a nauseating _crack _met my ears, but I didn't look, if I did I would've given up, all of my energy would have left me and I would just lay limp as The Spider Queen slowly tore me apart.

With one last heave, I ripped the webbing off of the Nexus crystal and began hacking away at it with my prison, sending cracks throughout it.

_"DON'T YOU DARE." _Elise's dark voiced hissed, as I felt a skittering crawl up my leg and bite into my ribcage.

I swung my blade a final time as its edge dug into the Nexus, causing the gem to shatter and...do nothing.

A second of deafening silence met my ears as my heart now refused to beat.

Then from the center of the shattered pieces began spinning around in a circle as a white glow shined from each fragment.  
The wind was suck out of my lungs while dust, battlefield remnants and event light itself seemed to be attracted towards the construct.

A field of electricity flooded through the air, the fragments halted and flew apart in an explosion of white light, throwing me backwards before everything stopped as it all were frozen in an instant of time.

The Nexus was destroyed, the battle had been won.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello! So I'm adding this note at the request of JDKLeBleau728 (love saying your name by the way) since they asked what Inumbris' kit is and I thought it was important enough to respond like this so that if anyone is confused about the subject, they can be- nevermind let me just explain it.

"**Hello and welcome to a not-so-official League of Legends champion spotlight-**

"Wait, how did I get here? Evangeline did you have something to do with this-"

"-featuring Inumbris, Eternity's Prisoner."

_(Insert non-existent splash art here)_

**"Inumbris' passive is: 'Fury of the Accused' The years that he had spent within his prison had caused some of his once blessed abilities to corrupt with rage and time, much like this one.**

**"In combat, every time time Inumbris uses his basic attack and if he or any of his nearby allies are damaged this increases the amount of rage he has, enhancing his percentage of life steal and the potency of his other attacks."**

"Did you just call me corrupt?"

**"Inumbris' Q is: 'Tearing of the Soul' Inumbris uses the same power that once healed souls to partially tear them away from his target, stunning them for 1.5/1.75/2/2.5 seconds in addition to dealing some magic damage, however the range for this particular ability is incredibly small meaning that he has to be in close range in order to cast it.**

**"Inumbris' W is: 'Fight on!' Inumbris selects and heals an allied champion for a set amount of health, if the ally is currently under any CC such as stuns, slows, or blinds (excluding snares, tethers, etc.) they are immediately released of its grip. NOTE that Inumbris cannot cast this ability on himself, but its passive grants him a small amount of health regeneration.**

**"Inumbris' E is: 'Prisoner's Defiance' He throws his sword at a target location, going through enemies and applying physical damage as well as a small slow to all those it hits. After a second, Inumbris can recast this ability to be pulled to the sword's location, during this pull he cannot be CC'd or damaged.**

**"Inumbris' ultimate is: 'Blessing of the [REDACTED]' Inumbris closes off all his other senses and opens his mind to both enemy and allied champion auras, allowing him for a set amount of time to see through blinds including things such as Nocturne's ultimate in addition to seeing invisible champions. In this state Inumbris' critical strike chance is increased drastically since he is able to see and strategically strike enemy weak points, dealing _tons of damage._ However, while his ultimate is active he is blind to traps and such."**

So yes that is his kit, nothing much else to say but-

For those who have left messages, reviews or just even follows the story I just want to say thank you because as I'm writing these chapters I have no idea what's good or what's bad so I'm essentially just taking a shot in the dark with each release. However your feed back has given me the confidence that at least The Opposite of Amnesia is decent enough to keep it going and for that I can't thank you enough.

Anyway, that's my spiel, if you've reached this point in the chapter then thank you for reading and as always stay amazing.

-The Terracrafter


	10. Chapter 10: The Spider Queen

Nothing moved, not my opponents who were in mid sprint trying to stop me from what had already been finished, not the gargantuan black widow that was in the middle of tearing my leg apart, not even the air I breathed or failed to breath as everything around me just...stopped.

Yet somehow in that instant of time, I was forced to blink.  
The half a second of darkness met my vision before the cover was thrown away and I was no longer in the Summoner's Rift, instead now I was standing in a barren cobblestone chamber that was bathed in a light blue glow.

Immediately I noticed that my vision was no longer damaged and since I was standing back on my own two feet again I could tell Elise's work had been undone.

To my sides were Jinx and Garen, both of which seemed to be impassive to the fact that they were dead just a few seconds ago.  
After a few moments of silence and with an exchange of a few words from each other, the Loose Cannon, Chain Warden and Dark Sovereign made their way out of the chamber.

I felt a heavy pat on the shoulder as the Might of Demacia patted me on his way to the chamber exit.

"Valiant work on the battlefield, Inumbris, may we fight together again soon." He commended, before disappearing from the room as well.

Was that it? A simple pat on the back for each other after risking their lives multiple times before heading off in their own directions?  
The more time I spent in this Institute, I found, the more things I would eventually have to grow used to.

Taking a breath, I too made my out of the summoning chamber.  
Immediately when I had stepped out from the entrance I was greeted by the same halls that navigated throughout the Institute of War, the feeling of familiarity caused me to relax somewhat.

On my way back to my room I had noticed that despite that both my body and robes had been repaired, I myself was stilled doused in grime, blood, and ash, adding yet another question as to why the summoners simply neglected certain parts of their arenas.

Letting out a sigh of disgust I journeyed through the Institute's halls and made a beeline straight for my dorm as soon as it came into sight.  
Once I was in the cover of my room I began to strip my armor off of me, pulling the robes over my head and tossing it onto my mattress when something twitched in the back of my mind.

Pausing, I look around the room scanning for anything out of place while internally I tried distinguishing anything inside from the cacophony of lives that surrounded me.  
Eventually I found nothing, yet I remained skeptical as I pulled off my boots and headed for the only other door in my room besides the exit.

When I had first settled there I never thought I was going to need a bathroom, but after a few practice matches with Fiora told me that unless I wanted to look like I had ended up on the wrong side of Brand, I was going to definitely need it.

The warm water felt amazing as my body finally began to relax from the match's onslaught.  
Resting my forehead against the smooth stone of the shower, allowing the water to pour down the side of my back while the day replayed through my mind.

The images of Syndra being crushed between a boulder and a wall, souls being slowly ripped away by a cackling Thresh and the merciless crimson eyes of Elise flaunted across my thoughts before I quickly shook them away.  
Finally, the crumpled face of Azir as I relentlessly caved it in with a stone presented itself in my imagination, a mixture of satisfaction and guilt took a stab at my heart.

I remembered all those curses I threw at him and Xerath, hoping with every fiber of my being that they would suffer as much I had.  
But now I felt tired, exasperated even.  
Originally I had come before the League for the not-so-simple purpose of finding answers to what had happened as well as revenge, now I wasn't sure as to what to do.

Azir remained the same arrogant man he always had been, trying to assemble the pieces of his fallen kingdom even though I saw no way of that even happening anymore.

_What is his plan? How does he even plan to accomplish rebuilding Shurima? Why does he believe he deserves a second chance? _I asked myself, the pile of questions I held in the back of my thoughts steadily growing larger.

Putting my back against the wall, I slowly slide down to the floor and wrapped my arms around my knees and brought them to my chest.  
Watching the water droplets fall, I again try to clear my head of any thoughts and for once bring myself some internal peace, that's when the face of The Spider Queen clawed itself back into my mind, her eyes locked onto my mine while he lips were still pulled into a deadly smirk.

Again, I felt a twitching in the back of my mind causing me to stiffen my back and reach up to turn the water off.  
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I open the door to my bedroom to find it undisturbed, except for a small white envelope sitting neatly in the middle of my bed.

My eye brows furled into a glare as I walked to the foot of my bed and grabbed the letter, the twitch now steadily growing louder and more frantic as if it was anticipating something.  
Opening the envelope, I take out a small piece of parchment, marked simply with.

_**"Meet me at the 'Le Kappa' cafe, around 2:15. I trust that you know where it is and that you won't disappoint.  
-E"**_

I immediately tossed the note to the side, there was no chance that I was ever going to amuse that woman's request.

Turning back to the room, I scan the walls again as the chittering didn't even bother trying to conceal itself anymore.

"If you'd like to leave this room alive then I'd suggest you come out, rather than me having to find you." I growled to the darkness.

It stopped now, I could feel its anticipation as something crawled from out of the shadows.  
It was one of Elise's spiderlings, bearing the same markings that its kin and Queen wore however this one was noticeably smaller than the rest, no doubt for the use of spying on the champions and summoners of the league.

I took a step closer causing the creature to scuttle backwards slightly while its eight beady eyes were locked onto me.  
Sighing, I kneel down and bring my hand to the floor, inviting the spiderling to crawl aboard.

For a few seconds it didn't move, simply keeping its pupiless gaze trained on my eyes before slowly but surely it crawled forward and into the palm of my hand.

The feeling of its legs scuttling across my skin sent a chill down my spine, I never particularly enjoyed spiders, especially if they belong to a psychotic, homicidal woman.

Getting back up to my feet, I make way for the window and open it, allowing the afternoon sunlight to shine through the room.

I turned back to the creature in my hand, feeling a glare creep back into my expression.

"Tell your mistress that the next time I see you or any of your brothers and sisters spying on me, I won't be sending them back."

It did nothing in response except simply stare at me, its gaze getting more unsettling by the second.  
I mentally smacked myself as I thought through what I was doing, talking to a spider and expecting the creature to do a cartwheel or something in response and while my life up to this point had been somewhat ridiculous it wasn't _that _mad.

I gently placed the arachnid onto the ledge of my window, looking at it for a few seconds before reaching over to the pane.

"I'm serious, of all the things I do _not _want is your mistress peeping on me through your eyes." I warned, closing the window and turning back to my room before the realization that I might have just threatened a perfectly normal spider came across my mind.

Shrugging it off, I look to my travel clothes that didn't look to be too clean at the moment causing me to slip back on my robes.  
I found them comfortable and the fact remained that I was going to have to wear them often enough, so I might as well get used to it.  
Next I slipped feet back into my boots, only neglecting to strap back on my shin and shoulder guards since I wasn't going to need them...hopefully.

In moments I was dressed and ready for...what exactly?  
I had no other plans, Evangeline hadn't contacted me after the match and since she was my only connection to the council I assumed that they had nothing else planned for me.  
Then why had I gotten ready to head out?

"No." I said aloud, almost as if I were commanding myself.

I was NOT going to meet her, not by any chance in the deepest parts of hell would I even consider it.  
There were no good intentions behind inviting for whatever she had planned and the possibility that it could all go horribly wrong were high in the best of circumstances.  
I had much better, safer things to bide my time with like talking to Avilius and Braum... except Avilius had guard duty tonight and even so I wasn't the most talkative out of the three of them.

Turning back to the window, the thought that I could sit out of the rooftops and wait for night came into my mind before being immediately shot down by the fact that it was one in the afternoon and was I truly eager to wait seven hours for sun set?

_I could just be interested in "Le Kappa" _I thought to myself, it looked decent enough when I had passed by it the few times I traveled through town...except that I no longer ate...or drank, funny how that sort of stuff slipped my mind sometimes.

Letting out a frustrated groan, I kick the foot of my bed while muttering a few curses to myself.

"By the sun be damned." I grumbled before slinging my prison over onto my back and walking out the door.

* * *

-**Elise**-

I sat calmly in my seat, relaxing my body after the match had finally ended with a rather... distasteful conclusion.

I felt somewhat frustrated with myself, if I hadn't decided to enjoy my time taking apart my prey the battle would've concluded in a much more favorable way, well at least for me.

To my side one of my children came forward, chittering in concern, no doubt feeling my emotions.  
I patted it in appreciation before carefully stroking its abdomen while I waited for one of its kin to respond back to me.

It was taking longer than I originally expected, causing me to sigh with boredom before stopping the comfort of my child and plucking my book from its designated place.  
Flipping through the pages I once again found where I had last left off and continued reading, returning my hand back to my child.

Half a chapter later, a small click in my head told me that it had finally entered the room.  
Closing the book I close my eyes and allowed my child's vision to replace mine.

Immediately I noticed that Inumbris' room looked absolutely barren, save for the bare essentials that all League dorms provided there was nothing that he had done to make the room his.

No books, no objects of personal attachment, nothing.

Didn't he join the League a little more than a week ago?

Taking my time to ponder whether or not the healer was truly that boring or not, my child turned over to the wardrobe and saw a small leather bag sitting inside.  
Curiosity got the better of the both of us as it then crawled up the furniture and into the satchel itself.

It was filled with travel supplies, a water skin, bits of wrapped food (that seemed to have long since spoiled) and even a small bag of coins, tucked to the side was a small letter that read: "_Thank you again Inumbris, let this just be a small payment for what you have done for us. Best of wishes, Agrass and Theresa."_

I quirked an eyebrow as read the note over again, slowly contemplating whether or not I should leave my little message inside the satchel, before I could make up my mind my child then heard the door to the room being opened.

Quickly I commanded it dig itself deeper into the bag as we both saw the healer walk inside, looking rather fatigued from the previous match.  
He sluggishly detached the sword from his back and sat it next to his bathroom door before pulling off his robes and heading towards the bathroom.

On his way Inumbris stopped for a second and turned back, his eyes scanning over the room.  
I felt myself hold my breath as his eyes slowly resting on the travel bag we were hiding in, a glare forming across his face before moving on and walking into the next room.  
The moment I heard the door close and the tell tale sound of the shower being turned on, my child leapt from out of the satchel and onto the bed opposite of the dorm's exit.

It then rested the small _present _in middle of the sheets, chittering in excitement before scuttling back towards the wardrobe as we heard Eternity's Prisoner open the door.  
Resting in the shadows of the furniture, the two of us watch carefully as there was no doubt in Inumbris' expression that he knew that we were here.

With only a towel wrapped around his waist I could see his exposed upper body finding him to be...meh.  
He didn't have an ounce of fat on him but he wasn't muscular either, besides the scar that ran down from his chin to collar bone and the smart-ass look behind his eyes there wasn't anything about him that truly stood out, like someone had given life to their first sculpture of the human body.

I could feel my child's excitement as it began to chittering in anticipation.  
The Healer slowly walked towards the bed, looking down at the not we had set for him.  
Picking it up, he began to tear through the top of the envelope, dropping it to the floor as he read the small sentence that him all he needed to know.

In time the note too was dropped to the floor as Eternity's Prisoner set his gaze back into the room.

"If you'd like to leave this room _alive_, then I'd suggest you come out, rather than me having to find you." He said out into the dark, his glaring eyes still scrutinizing the dorm.

While I could feel my child's motivation at the thought of presenting itself to the Healer, I quickly smother it.

_**What are you thinking? **_I mentally reprimanded them.

Already I was devising a path where the Healer wouldn't notice out exit, however before even another second had passed my child decided to crawl down from its hiding place and right into his field of view.

Inumbris stared at them for a moment, confusion evident across his face until he slowly recognized to whom the spider belonged to.  
Part of me believed that he immediately bring his foot down without a second thought, but instead he calmly extended a hand towards my child.

At first my child shifted backwards, our gaze still locked onto Inumbris', silently studying him.  
Eternity's Prisoner merely sighed as he dropped onto his knees and placed the palm of his hand only a foot away from us.

Without hesitation I told my child not to trust whatever he was trying to do and back away into the shadows, yet frustratingly enough they again ignored me and cautiously scuttled into the Healer's hand.

He got back up to his feet and directly made for the window.

"Tell your mistress that the next time I see you or any of your brothers and sisters spying on me, I won't be sending them back." Inumbris warned, not realizing at this very moment I _could _hear everything he was saying.

"I'm serious, of all the things I do _not _want is your mistress keeping tabs on me through your eyes."

_If you're worried about me seeing you walking out of the shower, I'm afraid it's a little too late. _I thought to myself.

With those final words the Healer closed the window, cutting off any vision of him and his from us.  
For a moment I allowed my child to rest there and continue whatever it was doing as I was wondering if Eternity's Prisoner was going to accept my little invitation.

He didn't seem too happy at the thought of my request, but I knew he would come.  
Behind the glare that the Healer held was an odd look of curiosity, maybe even he didn't believe that he was going to oblige me, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would be here in a few moments' time, and when he did it would be rather...intriguing.

"Ma'am?" A voice called out to me, bringing my thoughts to a halt and wrenching my vision back to my own eyes.

In front of me was one of the "Le Kappa's" waiters holding out a notebook and pen, an expectant look across his face.  
I quickly force a smile to mine, closing the book and taking a glance to my side.

Thankfully my child had managed to make itself scarce by the time it took for the waiter to get to my table.  
He was tall, with a moderate build and scraggly dirty blonde hair, his eyes were slightly sunken and shaded like he had gone a few nights without any sleep and even in the way he held himself he looked uninterested, bored even with everything around him.

But no matter how fatigued he looked there was a glint of greed and jealously in his eyes every time he gazed at some of the summoners that visited this place often.

He was perfect.

"My apologies, I was just merely lost in my own thoughts about this." I explained, waving the man's attention to the book I held.

I saw his eyes look over to it before returning back to mine, confused on what I was talking about.

"It does often bring me peace thinking about that one day I will be brought to the shores of my beloved god as his life will flow into mine, and that I will live in harmony with my kin." I cooed, speaking ever so more quietly so that the man would have to lean in closer in order to hear.

He did so until our faces were only a couple of inches apart, his bored expression evaporating away as now his eyes were locked onto mine.  
I turn away from him, feigning an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry again, you clearly don't want to listen to my dribble, I'll just give my order."

The waiter quickly took a step forward, straightening somewhat but keep himself close enough so that the others around us couldn't hear what we were saying.

"N-no ,no, p-please do continue." He stammered, not even bothering to disguise his interest.

I felt myself smile, both inside and out as already the invisible threads were being woven around the man in front of me.

"Have you ever heard of The Spider God?"

* * *

-**The Healer-**

In the early afternoon the town was busy with regular pedestrians and summoners of the league, no doubt some of them seeking a break from sending others in to fight to their death and then some.

Glancing at one of the nearby clocks that stood in some of the more crowded areas, I could tell that it was around 2:16.  
Already I was late, but it mattered much less to me when I was still debating whether or not I should go in the first place.

Before I even realized it, the "Le Kappa" cafe stood before me, the descending sun's rays reflecting off of the multitude of windows that covered the building.  
Outside were multiple tables, most of them were simple metal tables with only a white cloth serving as a cover while only a few had a small vase of flowers at the center.

I looked over the area, scanning each table for the distinct figure that was the Spider Queen when one of the waiters came up to me.  
Physically, he looked like he had just gotten out of bed with his blonde hair ragged and dark circles tracing around his eyes, but there was a spring in his step like a child promised a toy for good behavior.

"Inumbris, I assume?" He spoke, readjusting a tray of multiple cups and saucers.

I nodded as I could already feel a grain of suspicious grown inside me as the man beckoned me to follow him.

"How did you know exactly?" I inquired, making sure to keep in step with him.

"I was told that someone like you is coming, and with that getup you tend to stick out around here, even with the summoners, so I just kinda put two and two together."

_Some one like me. _The words echoed in my head as I began to piece together what had happened.

So she knew already that I was going to accept her invitation, without a doubt with a little help from the spider she tried planting in my room.  
The two of us walked a little farther down the side of the cafe until we had reached the back corner where a single table lay that was considerably more decorated than the rest.

At the opposite end of it sat Elise, calmly looking back at me with a disarming smirk.  
Immediately, the waiter then pulled one of the saucers from the tray before setting it in front of her.

"Your second order p..." He mumbled, barely even audible for me just two feet away, however the last word he uttered sounded suspiciously like: _Priestess._

"Why thank you, Richard." She spoke, her voice was dripping with a sickly sweet tone, which I knew was more of an disarming mechanism rather than an actual praise.

She silently waved for me take a seat, however I merely stood there, looking her over before turning my gaze to 'Richard', thinking over the scenario in front of me.  
The Elise that sat across from me almost looked 'normal', there weren't any limb protruding from her back, neither were her eyes a dark crimson with two black slits for pupils, rather now a deep dark hazel.

She was disguised.

I immediately wanted to pull Richard to the side and tell him to run, run away and never-_ever _consider joining Elise's cult, for obvious reasons.  
Yet one sentence, one absurd, unfair sentence held me back from doing so.

_**Elise has signed the contract of anonymity with the Institute of War, meaning that while the public may know of her somewhat they are excluded from the fact of her 'true form' and what is believed to happen annually with her cult. Both champions and summoners are restricted from ever mentioning her true intentions to the public for this would have direct consequences for her and ultimately the League. Anyone who violates this contract is subject to the punishments that were agreed to once signing into The Institute of War.**_

The bold faced letters at the bottom of the Spider Queen's bio taunted me from the back of my mind as I slowly sat myself down.

"Is there anything I can get you sir?" The waiter inquired, setting the tray to the side while pulling a note pad from his side pocket.

"Just some green tea if you would please." I replied absentmindedly, not daring to turn my vision away from Elise as if she were some creature ready to pounce (which was true in multiple ways.)

"Righty then. Sir, Ma'am, enjoy yourselves." He nodded before lifting up his tray and walking back to the entrance of Le Kappa.

Soon after his departure silence fell between the two us as he eyed one another in a venomous game of not blinking.  
As I was only two feet away from her, I could see that even through her disguise she decided to keep her unusual red hair and the same clothing that she wore on the battle-field that left little to the imagination.

While I'll admit she was beautiful, I wouldn't describe it as the same beauty as a sort of serene figure, but the term "beautiful" someone would use to describe a masterfully crafted weapon, or a leopard hunting down a gazelle in the last few moments before it seized its kill.

Once a few minutes had passed she sighed, breaking eye contact and rested her head on her hand.

"You are such an interesting person to talk to." Elise commented sarcastically, taking her pointer finger and slowly stirring her spoon within the coffee cup, a bored expression apparent.

"What did you want from me Elise?" I said, ignoring her previous statement.

"Straight to point, as always." She now looked at me her usual smirk, to this I sat back in my chair waiting for her to make her point.

"As you might know, I am the leader of a..._particular _religious group that worships Vilemaw, the Spider God."

"Of course, and I know that with every year you select a handful of your most devout followers to "the Blessed Isles", but nobody seems to come back afterwards except you, just a meaningless coincidence, I'm sure." I barked.

"Oh and I'm sure none of your followers know-" I dropped my voice slight. "Of the little fact that can you transform in a blood thirsty arachnid." With each word my tone spat more and more poison at the woman across from me.

None of what I said seem to phase her as she calmly stirred her coffee before taking a sip, making sure to take as much time as possible to enjoy it.  
For a moment her eyes gazed over to my neck where my scar was stretched across, where she had sank her fangs into at the beginning of the match.  
I self consciously pull at my scarf, making sure to cover it before continuing my rant.

"And so what if you're a leader of horribly mislead religious cult, how does this have anything to do with me?"

"Because, I know how to solve your little condition." She responded blankly.

"W-what?" A small pebble of dread began forming in my stomach.

"You obviously were given my background, or as much as I had give to the League, and so it's only basic understanding that I was given yours."

_**"..after today, what happened...who you are will be open to everyone. Once your presence is announced there won't be a single summoner or champion that won't know something about you."**_

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I focus my vision back to Elise who knew that she had struck a cord with me internally.

"Yes, so?"

"Meaning that if you side with me and agree to a contract, I can make you feel almost human again. You see, while Vilemaw's venom might not be able to separate your soul from the sword but it can easily bring back the senses you have been missing for so long. Taste, warmth, and _other things._" The Spider Queen explained, even in her look she silently laughed at me.

_She knows that!? How much did Evangeline include with that report? _I screamed inside my head.

"If you've read my background, then you should realize that I would _never _side with something like _you_." I snarled.

This time Elise's smirk disappeared.

"And what does 'something like _me' _mean exactly?" She hissed.

"It means, _your highness_, that I would rather go back into my sword and rot away than to side with such a disgusting and vile monster." Whatever calm and collected nature Elise had was quickly cast to the wind as she began to dig her nails into the table, her hazel eyes flashing red just for a second.

"I am _above _just a simple monster, and certainly above this filth that you call humanity, I am more beautiful than what any of them could ever dream to be, more powerful than their most desperate wishes, and _you _have no right to even begin talking about whom the monster is." A spider now crawled from a red haze and onto the table, its eyes were furious and its fang poised to strike.

"You GAVE your humanity away, Elise, I had mine stripped away from me. The thousands that you have sacrificed just to keep _this_-" I motioned towards her features. "Do you not realize how much I would give up of myself just to bring that many people back!?" My voice was growing louder as leaned over the table and kept my face glaring towards Elise's, not even phased in the slightest about her pet.

"Why do you care!? Humans are worthless-no they're below worthless, they corrupt this world and mercilessly kill each other just for another piece of gold, another piece of land, another piece of whatever _they _want because taking is all that they're good for!"

I let out a dry, bitter laugh to this.

"Then you truly more ignorant than any other person I have met. When I was in Shurima all those who walked the streets, vended the shops, or guarded the walls, I could see _all _of their emotions, all of their intentions and yes while some were never good, or noble or even the least bit caring, they were drowned out by the compassion, the empathy, the _kindness _others held for each other. That's why I was a healer, THAT is why I kept the people of Shurima going for as long as I could, and that is the reason why I will _always _hate the people like you who are willing to destroy it all."

Elise's child let out a small hiss towards me, however instead of attacking it crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder.

"I want to point out something that you just said." She muttered while collecting herself, picking up her drink and taking a sip. "That you said that you _were_ a healer, implying that you are no longer one."

I raised an eyebrow, not seeing where she was going with this.

"Yes, but how-"

"Why do you consider yourself not a healer? Hmmm? It's because you broke your oath and failed to save all those people, such a shame, now who killed them? Were they a monster like me? Or were they someone that no one would ever expect to do such a thing? That's right, it's people like _you _that happily turn a blind eye to the fact that everyone, and I do mean everyone, is capable of performing such atrocities. In fact, you disgust me, Little Fly, it wasn't just because of Xerath did Shurima fall, it was because of you as well, it's because you put such blind faith in all those worthless creatures that you let your guard down and allowed them to stab you in the back."

"W-wait...what did you just say?" If I just heard what I thought I heard then...no it wasn't impossible...

The Spider Queen shot a glare at me, silently cursing me for my impertinence.

"I said that it's because you put such blind-"

"No, no, no, you said it's not just because of who did Shurima fall." I interrupted.

Clearly, Elise's patience was gone, now I was poking a conscious and _very _aggravated bear with a stick.

"_I said_, that it wasn't just because of Xerath did Shu-"

"How. Do You. Know. That. Name?"

She now looked at me as if she were having to explain something to a small child.

"He doesn't exactly keep it a secret, especially not when he's matched against Azir in the Summoner's Rift."

"You're saying that Xerath is a champion!? In THIS league?" I got out of my chair, my heart was racing a million miles an hour.

The Spider Queen rolled her eyes and gave out a sigh.

"Yes, your powers of deduction are unmatched, that is exactly what I'm sayi-"

"LIES! HE CANNOT BE ALIVE, HE JUST CAN'T BE. OUT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE..." I yelled at the increasingly frustrated Elise.

"Why would I lie over something so trivial? Go look for yourself you blubbering child." She sneered but most of that sentence was lost to me as I was already sprinting past the waiter carrying my tea and heading back to the institute.

Out of everyone, Evangeline would know whether or not this was true, she had to know.  
Even so...why would she keep something like from me? For this long?

"Please, _please_ let this all just be a lie." I pleaded as I ran down the familiar path and through the forest.


	11. Chapter 11: The Veil

-**Azir-**

I roamed throughout the halls of The Institute, passing by each champions dorms and reading the plaques given to each door with a watchful eye.

Normally each champion's room was organized by their location of influence, Noxus, Demacia, Piltover, The Shadow Isles, and yes, Shurima.

This was suppose to create a more friendly and welcoming environment within the institute itself, since most would rather be surrounded by their fellow countrymen than some of the more repugnant champions the league stored.

Even I was given a room by the summoners in charge, I never used it, but it still stood with the rest of the Shuriman dorms.  
Almost never would anyone see me wandering through these halls, my only reasons why I would be here in the first place was to visit Sivir, or Nasus (who resided mostly within the extensive library that the institute possessed.)

Her encounter with the literal snake of a woman Cassiopeia, in which her life's blood had brought me back from none-existence, and in return I saved her life using the waters of the Oasis of the Dawn.

Through that act of gratitude was the final piece of my ascension completed, giving me the godly form I held today.  
Ever since then I felt a sort of responsibility for the last remaining heir of the Shuriman kingdom, causing me to watch over her when she was travelling through the heated desert, or _try _to educate her in the ways of our ancestors, neither or which, I could tell, she appreciated.

However, I was now here for something else entirely.  
For those who chose it, there was an entire section of dorms given to those who wished to labeled under "independent" from their country of origin, and for...obvious reasons the Healer had preferred a dorm in these parts.

Now I was looking for him, to show him what I had been working on ever since I escape death's cold, dark clutches, what will again become the future of Valoran, what he swore his oath to.  
If what Rexas said was true, then he should have no reason not to agree to accompany me back to deserts; well except for the fact that he despises me for the death of whoever "she" is, even so If I had to drag him by the leg to Shurima then let it be so.

Eventually, I had finally found the door labeled with a small golden plaque that read: **Inumbris, Eternity's Prisoner.**  
Looking at his title sent a small pang of guilt shot through my chest, it was my fault that he even had a title like that, that he was cursed to be the way that he was.

The image of the healer writhing in absolute agony as his soul was torn from his body and transferred to the sword replayed in my mind, it once brought me satisfaction, thinking that at least one traitor had been met with justice, now it just made my guilt worsen slightly.

Brushing it aside, I slowly curl my hand into a fist and knock it against the wooden door three times.

No answer.

I paused for a few moments before wracking my hand against the door again, only to have silence as my response again.

Both equal parts of disappointment and ease replaced my guilt, even if the sole reason why I was here was for the healer himself, I had no idea how he'd react and the last time we had met wasn't exactly the friendliest of gatherings.

Turning away, I concluded that he was never going to answer the door or wasn't there in the first place, either choice, it was degrading enough to be stood in front of someone's abode, waiting like an urchin that was promised food at the end of the day.

However, despite even that I paused for just a moment and turned back to see the healer in question running down the hallway with a look of absolute terror evident across his face.  
His eyes were focused behind me as if he were trying to find someone who wasn't there.

I extended an arm into his pathway, causing Rexas to halt in his tracks and looks towards me as if noticing my existence for the first time.  
If his features didn't tell me something was wrong then it was the shaking voice and quiet question he asked me that did.

"He c-can't be alive... can he?" The healer muttered, his gaze shifting up towards my eyes, scouring my helmet for answers of any kind.

It didn't take any stretch of the imagination to piece together who _"he_" was, for however long until now Rexas hadn't known that the person who almost single-handedly obliterated everything that we knew and cared about was still alive and "walking" the earth; I didn't envy how the healer felt.

Saying nothing, I slowly nodded watching as Eternity's Prisoner's expression was no longer terrified, but now crestfallen as his shoulders slumped and his voice adopted a hollow tone.

"How... out of everyone we..." His sentence trailed off as he turned his back to me but remained in the same spot.

Now what stood in front of me was a gamble, the thought that Rexas not knowing the truth about Xerath never crossed my mind and I never considered how much of a twist it could create.  
Given the situation either one of two possibilities could happen if I chose to pull the veil from the healer's vision.

One would be that he thrown back into the reality of whom he swore his oath to, the other, would be something similar to our previous meetings; obviously one was more preferable over the other.  
I debated on the chance of whether or not fate was working in my favor or against, after a few moments I tossed aside any doubt that plagued me.  
However, before I could even utter a single word the healer spoke up, his tone was cold and his intent was _very _clear to me.

"Azir, where is Xerath?"

He then turned back towards me, a deadly look in his eyes as he locked them onto mine.

"Tell me where he is." He commanded.

I returned the glare, straightening myself while spitting back a retort.

"You dare think you have the privilege of commanding _me_? No matter what you might think, Rexas, times have not changed-"

"ENOUGH!" He yelled, silencing the entire hall.

"Despite what _you _think, the times have indeed changed! The only thing that truly hasn't is you Azir. You still believe that your words hold any merit where your actions fail to support them. I've said it once and now I'll say it again. Azir, where. Is. Xerath?"

Whatever patience I had for the healer was now evaporated as he spoke louder and louder.  
He dare speak to an emperor in such a manner? Even with our disputes may the sun be damned if I ever chose to leave his outburst unaddressed.

"If you were not so fond of screaming like a frustrated child I would have told you that I do not _know _where Xerath resides and besides fighting him in the Fields of Justice I have not managed to gleam the slightest hint of where he could be or what he has planned. However what I _do _know is that you have not the slightest clue of what the bigger picture is and yet you choose to act like you do know it all." I admonished, watching with a slight satisfaction as Rexas grew increasingly frustrated, but remained dumbfounded as what to say next.

For a few moments he stared angrily at me, his eyes giving away the fact he was piecing together a retort.

"Then _enlighten _me on what the bigger is, your omniscient highness." He hissed.

"Gladly. As you seem so eager to deny, Shurima is never lost and I am its dawn, I will show you the veil and tear it away so that you may finally be able to see the truth."

Rexas scoffed, a mixture of anger and mock enthusiasm surrounded his character.

"Oh I am sorry oh mighty Azir, the Emperor of The Sands, the future dawn of Shurima, the man who fails to realize that what he once ruled over is nothing but dust and just desperately grasps at the pieces, trying to fix something that will _never _be restored. I am ever so sorry for my stupidity." He sneered, giving a bow.

It was almost akin to the first of many times that I had faced against Xerath in the Summoner's Rift, his mocking attitude, his proclamations that Shurima was nothing but a wasteland and that he no longer needed to hide behind a guise of treachery to make it all topple over again.

Now he was stood in front of me, glaring at me with a different set of eyes, and ridiculing me with a different voice, but the tone was still there, a tone I planned to silence immediately.

I flung out my arm, grasping onto the front of his robes and pulling him closer to my helm until we were inches apart.

"And that is where you are wrong." I spoke as a storm of sands began to flow through the windows and from underneath the doors of the hall's rooms.

Together, the dust began to swirl around the two of us until it created a border between us and the rest of the world.  
The winds grew faster and faster until they were almost deafening to us in the center of it all.  
The healer began pull on my arm in an attempt to tear himself away from me but my grip held firm as we both were swept away, out of the Institute by the sands.

* * *

-**The Healer-**

The winds whipped and tore at my face as I slashed at Azir's arm, forcing me to close my eyes and wait for the worst as I could feel my body become weightless.  
In seconds I could feel myself be brushed away, the air being knocked from my lungs as it felt like the sand dunes themselves were thrashing me from side to side.  
I attempted to open my eyes only to have a torrent of sand blind me.

Quickly, shutting them again , I clung for dear life to the only anchor in a sea of dust; the Emperor of The Sands.  
After what had felt like another eternity the spinning stopped and I was dropped into a soft blanket of dust.  
Coughing the sand from my lungs I shakily get back up onto my feet.

I slowly looked to Azir, the desert sun burning my eyes as I opened them again.

"A-Azir, where have you taken me?" I croaked, my throat felt like as if it were on fire.

"Home."

He waved an arm to his side, drawing my attention while my eyes adjusted to the Shuriman sun.  
For a few moments I could see nothing but the scorching glaring of the light before the veil was thrown and I gazed at something I never thought possible again.  
The Sun Disc shined across the sands, the golden structure now again floating hundreds of feet over an arrangement of stone buildings.

Those that stood before Shurima's fall were now being rebuilt while there were newer additions that adopted a more modern theme than the others around them.  
In the distance I could see the traffic of people weaving through the cracks of the city.  
It was almost all there, the city was alive again, people roamed through the streets and from the dust arose the familiar buildings I grew ever so fond to.

My voice left me as I turned to Azir, I saw that he was already making his way down the sand dune and towards Shurima.

I frantically followed behind him, swallowing what little anger and pride I had left.  
The emperor seemed to notice this as he now walked a little taller than before.

"It's back...how?" My throat still burned but it didn't stop the flood of questions that were raging inside my mind.

"Shurima was never lost, merely dormant until its emperor's return. Through my vision and the faith of my people, we are to restore what used to be ruins back into greatness." He said with an irritatingly smug tone.

"Ever since I have returned from nonexistence we have begun to unearth what has been lost."

"Nonexistence? What are you talking about?" I questioned further, the emperor's words made no sense to me.

He paused for a moment before restarting his regal stride.

"You still do not what befell Shurima? Of course not, there are less than a handful of those who could tell of such things." He spoke partially to himself.

"Then tell me. Tell me what Xerath did, tell me what happened to you and how you came back." I interjected into his thought process, my patience waning slightly as I begun to feel like a rabbit being led on by a single carrot.

"You will learn in due time, Rexas."

Of course, when I came ever closer to the answers I needed they were pulled away from me just a little bit farther.  
As the two of us neared towards the city two lines of soldiers formed on either side arose from the sand.  
They all stood at attention for their ruler, their bodies remaining motionless.

My stomach churned at the thought of seeing Aphra standing among the emotionless faces.  
I kept my eyes forward, stopping my sight from wandering towards the figures on either side of me.

Even though it may have seemed like Azir was openly inviting me into the city, the now near countless amount of soldiers he kept summoning gave me one clear message.

_Step out of place, threaten my kingdom or me and with one word, I end you._

There was once a time where the Emperor of The Sands was considered just, benevolent even.

He had many times traveled to the lower levels of the capital of Shurima, albiet with a squadron of guards securing his safety.  
This was partly to reaffirm that he was indeed guiding the people into a brighter future and to make sure he had their undying support for his cause.

Now, as he and I passed through the city, rows of soldiers creating a barrier between us and the rest of the community, I could only see Azir pass by them without giving a single glance of recognition in a cold, callous demeanor.  
Most of whom we passed stopped what they were doing to gaze at the two of us, some bowed, other smiled, and yet still their emperor gave them nothing.

I threw a questioning look at the man, trying to silently coax an explanation from him, but much like his response to everyone else he remained indecipherable.

We had reached the heart of the city when an intoxicating wave of nostalgia washed over me.  
Many of the paths that the two of us had passed I remembered wondering through in my years of house calls and emergency visits, although they seemed to have changed slightly throughout the years of reconstruction.

Out of in the distance I could see the remains of an all too recognizable ledge near the sides of the enormous structure that held the Sun Disc in place.  
Before I was even placed into the position of the the city's healer I would often find myself sitting high above the city on the edge and looking at the rising or setting sun, at the time it had brought me a warm sense of familiarity in a world that was so strange to me.

A couple of times even Aphra had join me in the silence and warmth of it, however after I had been trained and educated about the role I was going to fill, the time I had originally always seemed to slip away in the huddle rush that was my day, the only option left being the rooftop of the infirmary that I both worked and lived in.

After that, well...the rest is history.

We were nearing what I remembered to be Azir's palace when all of a sudden the emperor veered to the left, his soldiers followed his path leaving me with no choice but to accompany him as well.  
It took me a few moments of walking down the sand covered path before realizing what path we were taking.

Before I knew it I was standing in front of the building that I had spent years of my life in.  
It was in a state of absolute disrepair, the walls were cracked and some parts and even eroded away with time.  
The roof had collapsed in onto the second floor, covering the first floor in a blanket of darkness.

I looked over to Azir, who merely just stood there and waited for me, his soul radiating an aura of expectancy.  
I opened my mouth to speak but my voice lodged itself into my throat.  
Turning back to the decrepit structure, I slowly stepped into the shadows of the place that I once called my home.

The heavy smell of firewood assaulted my nostrils, to me it was nauseating as I looked around the room to see that most of everything that was intact was now burned into ash.  
The cabinets that used to store all of my medicinal equipment were smashed into pieces and shoved into the corner of the room like a woodpile, the table seemed to have received the same fate as well as most of the cots.

In the collapse of the building the entire hearth that once warmed me in the cold desert nights had been obliterated, small pieces of the mantelpiece marked its grave.  
The room felt barren, there was no doubt in my mind that over the years my home was used to house either bandits or nomads as everything of importance was picked clean a long time ago.

At the sight of my destroyed home I felt nothing, when I first laid eyes on the eroded ruins of Shurima I had assumed that it was either completely destroyed or buried underneath the unforgiving sands.  
After having been told that the person who tore down an entire kingdom, killed an entire city of people was still alive, then being told that the same kingdom was now rebuilding under the same ruler who it all to fall away, the news that my home had been ransacked was like dropping a pebble in the sea in the middle of a typhoon.

I was about to turn my back to the room, there was nothing left to see; almost.  
Covered in a heap of rock and sand was a faint glimmer from the little light that shined in the room.  
Brushing it aside, I picked up a faded golden helmet, its surface was covered in scratches and dent while a small part of it was molded to hold a gem that was long since gone.

No matter how damaged it may have been, I still recognized whose it was.  
Holding Aphra's helmet, I slowly bring it to my chest and wrap my arms tighter around the piece of metal, as if I were trying to protect it from the horrors of outside world.

I could feel Azir's gaze looking down on me from the doorway, a small portion of the anger I had for him reignited inside me.

"What is this supposed to be? Are you taunting me? Condemning me? Why did you bring me here if you knew it as going to be like this?" I whispered.

For a few moments, my questions were met with nothing but silence until he decided to speak up.

"No. Rexas, I am neither taunting you, nor condemning you. This is a message to you that despite what you may have remembered is destroyed, Shurima. Still. Lives. On." He projected, never failing to make each word sound more paramount than the last.

"And what makes you think you have a right to a second chance, Azir? What makes you think that any of us deserve a second chance?" I rebutted, getting up onto my feet but keeping my back towards the emperor.

"Out of all those people, those thousands upon thousands of lives, we're the ones who still managed to live on. The traitor who killed them all, the fool who couldn't see past his own radiance...and the failure who couldn't even keep his oath and protect them...WHY DO WE DESERVE ANYTHING? WHILE OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED AND DIED FOR OUR ACTIONS, WE. STILL. LIVE. ON."

To this Azir said nothing, allowing the room to fall into silence again.  
It stayed this way for a few minutes as I turned around to see the emperor analyzing me, and I in turn took my time to scrutinize him.  
After a long period of exchanging looks I broke the eye contact and began to make my way towards the door.

"Anything else you would like to show me, Your Highness?" I muttered while pushing past Azir and back into the fierce light of the sun, Aphra's helm still clutched tightly to my chest.

* * *

Stepping into Azir's palace was like walking into a memory, it seemed as if no one had even dared attempt to pick apart the place or this was the emperor's first interest in what to rebuild, the latter being more likely.

The golden walls still shimmered while the banners and other objects that decorated the halls were flawless for the most part.  
The moment we had enter his abode, the line of soldiers he summoned, halted right outside the front entrance, leaving it to only the two of us.

We had eventually stopped in font of two regal doors, marked with the same carvings that most of Azir's armor had.  
With a flick of his wrist the doors opened, revealing a beautiful balcony nestled high above the rest of the city, the same balcony that I had tried warning him about Xerath's intentions.

Without a word the emperor strode towards the ledge, gripping his clawed hands before looking down at the rebuilding metropolis.

"This feels all too familiar." I muttered before slowly joining him at the balcony's edge.

While his masked hid away emotion his face might have given, I could see in his eyes and in his soul as if he were contemplating something.

"You asked who are we to demand a second chance, after all we have done. You stated we should never be in a position to fail others yet again, but to that I declare you mistaken. Look below you, Rexas. Do you this? Do you see the amassed people who believe in our future? _Their _future? I never forced them to follow under me, they chose to. They lived in a world where people have torn and killed each other for the smallest of things, they _sought _peace, security, and that is exactly what I have promised them." He spoke, never taking his eyes off of the city below.

I glared at the emperor, his arrogance and confidence in himself only served to irritate me even more as if he willingly ignored what he-we failed to do in the past.

"How do you plan on keeping that promise, Azir? How you so sure you _can _bring them peace?" I snapped.

"Compared to what the rest of what Shurima has fallen to, I've already given it to them." He responded calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it not obvious? The deserts have been infested by bandits and murders ever since Shurima's fall, even the Xer'sai and the rest of the outerbeasts have been managing to increase their territory." The emperor tore his gaze from the city and set it back onto me.

Again, we faced one another in silence, asking the other a multitude of questions in a single look.

_Why am I here? This has gone far beyond him simply bringing me here just to prove me wrong. He's not actually... _I thought to myself, quickly shaking away the ridiculous notion that popped into my mind.

"Why did you br-" I started before a sharp voice called out behind us.

"I heard bandits and murderers, are you talking about me, Azir?" She asked, while her tone was deadly it also had a hint of dark humor to it.

Turning around, I was soon faced by a tall, and lethal looking woman.  
Her head was covered in a mess of long brown hair that ran to her shoulders while she wore a golden but simple tiara with a single blue jewel.  
She sparingly wore a light armor that covered her mid-section, arms and calves, the armor itself had the same markings that I would instantly recognize as Shuriman origins by design.  
Hanging loosely by her side was probably one of the most deadly aspects of the woman, being that she carried a four-sided disk blade that was so sharp you could lose a limb merely by looking at it, but that's just me.

"Not exactly, Sivir, but I do appreciate your cooperation to join me here as summoned, unlike our previous gatherings." The Emperor of The Sands addressed, taking a step closer to the Battle Mistress.

I had seen her a couple times before while she fought on the Summoner's Rift, from what I had seen of her confirmed that it was a terrible idea to get on the woman's bad side.  
From the rumors I had heard of her ruthless ways of combat, and her tendencies to go through whatever valuables the dead left behind, I never would have imagined that despite Azir's...standards that he would even acknowledge her existence, let alone greet her in a semi-respectable demeanor.  
I was left to guess the connection between the two champions as they both delved into their own, quiet conversation.

Eventually Sivir looked and nodded towards me.

"So, do you want me to kill him, or make sure he's never seen again?" She asked bluntly.

I quickly snapped my eyes to Azir, taking a step back away from them and reaching towards the handle of my sword.  
The emperor immediately raised a hand to try and dispel the situation, while shaking his head at the Battle Mistress.

"No, I do not require those set of skills from you, Sivir, he's neither a threat to me or Shurima."

"Well I figured ever since that last match you had it out-" She began before Azir sharply cut in.

"-Rather, I would like you to escort him to one of the villages in Sai. He needs to see that there is no future without Shurima."

She rolled her eyes to this before silently looking me over and crossing her arms.

"I hope you realize, family or not this is still going to cost you, especially since he's going to stick out like a sore thumb." She spoke.

Before Azir could respond, I angrily spat in:

"I'm sorry, but you don't look too inconspicuous yourself."

This earned me a glare from her, as she reached down to her weapon and began to spin it between her fingers with lethal ease.  
The Emperor of The Sands quickly stepped between the two of us, shooting me a quickly look to drop what we were doing.

The Battle Mistress slowly relinquished her blade and returned her arms across her chest.

"Sorry Azir, but I'm afraid my fee just went up." She growled.

The emperor then turned to me, ignoring Sivir's previous statement.

"Undoubtedly you have many questions as to why I have brought you here, the answer will come in due time. However, for now you will join Sivir in a journey to one of the outer villages that lies outside of what I have claimed back thus far. At the end you need not follow, but you must witness."

"And what if I refuse?" I asked nonchalantly.

The emperor waved a hand to his left, pointing to the distant horizon.

"Then you may return to your quarters back at the Institute of War, six thousand miles that direction." He stated flatly.

Given my options, there wasn't really a choice at all.

"Fine."

Azir nodded, turning to the two of us and taking a step back, taking both arms and cradling his scepter.

"I have had two camels prepared for you, both of which should be supplies with enough rations for you to comfortably use along your journey. I trust that you both shall not murder each other by the end it of." He finished, sending a cautionary look at Sivir.

As we were about to head back through the palace, Azir tapped me on the shoulder and laid out a clawed hand.

"You know as much as I that Sai does not have the best of reputations, I will hold onto it for you until your return."

I could feel myself grip onto Aphra's helmet just a little tighter, like a small child protecting their teddy bear.  
If I did hand it over then I would be cemented to returning back to the emperor, but if I didn't then there is a higher likelihood than not I would find it long gone from my side.

Begrudgingly, I eventually passed it to Azir, who took it with a victorious glint in his eyes and soul.

With a wave of the hand he sent us back down through his regal abode until we reached the front doors where, as promised, two camels lied in wait for us.  
We soon began heading out of the city, a few weird stares here and there but besides that we were left un-bothered as we trekked onto the scorching sands of the Shuriman Desert.

* * *

A couple of hours into our trek I had immediately begun to regret my decision of wearing my robes instead my travel clothes.  
Sand already had accumulated in some less than pleasant places inside the fabric and I could feel my skin begin to sizzle in the sweltering heat of the sun.

Sivir on the other hand seemed to enjoy nothing more than to sit back and allow the time to tick by, occasion taking a swig from a painstakingly decorated water-skin that was tied to her saddle, hell practically everything the woman had on her would have cost an arm and a leg, and considering her line of work I wasn't far off.  
This caught me off guard somewhat, especially since where we going of all places and the reputation that had been attached to it.

"You don't particularly skimp on purchasing anything do you?" I said loud enough for her to hear in the hot, still air.

She merely shrugged, keeping her eyes on the horizon as we trotted forward.

"If you're suggesting for me to be little more cut-purse then that's never going to happen, but cut throat? That's a different story."

"Right..." I muttered, falling silent again.

"Oh, I forgot to mention one very simple rule as we do this. If you land us in any kind of trouble while we're going through Sai, I'll kill you myself, and then charge you for it." She explained, almost as if she were just reading the term and conditions of a contract.

"I'll keep that duly noted."

Out of all people I expected Azir would have respect towards, the Battle Mistress would be the least of all people I would have imagined, which reminded me.

"You refereed to Azir as family, are you actually related?" I inquired.

Again she shrugged while keeping her gaze focused forward.

"We share some of the same blood, someone that was related to Azir managed to survive what he calls "The Fall" which then ended up leading to me. I guess that's what landed me in this situation in the first place." Her features grew a scowl.

"What do you meany by that?"

"It was through the same blood that allowed that feathered grump to come back, or so he says. I don't know, much of what happened then is pretty much all a haze for me."

I found myself leaning closer, enthralled by what she was telling me, not hesitating to ask her to continue.

"Why? What happened?"

Her scowl only darkened as she seemed to be recalling some less than pleasant memories.

"Let's just say that a snake will always bite when you turn your back to it." She spoke, her voice somehow growing even more lethal.

I turned my attention back to my camel, letting my string of questions drop as another moment passed us by; I knew the venom that she was talking about all too well.  
However, the silence was quickly shattered by the Battle Mistress herself, no less, obviously trying to switch onto a different topic.

"Speaking of the bird brain, how do you two know each other? I figured since he called me out here just for you that either you must have gotten really on his bad side, or there's something else going on."

"I'm guessing you've never read my bio, have you?" I replied.

"Not a word." She stated.

"While yes, Azir and I know each other, it's not exactly on the best of terms, as you might have guessed."

She gave a dark chuckle.

"I envy you for bashing his head upside with a rock, there's been a couple of times where I've wanted to do that too."

I didn't join in her laugh, it was my turn for the scowl.

"I was there before Shurima fell, keeping an oath that I made towards its people, obviously that didn't go so well."

Her smile quickly disappeared.

"You were there? Are you also Ascended? Because from what I've seen so far you don't look the part."

I raised an eyebrow as I turned back to the battle mistress.

"No, I'm not, but it's funny how they used a very similar ritual to make whatever I am."

"So you don't know what they did to you?" She asked.

"Besides the fact that they tore my soul from my body and trapped it inside this-" I gestured to the prison strapped to my back. "I know nothing else."

"Sounds painful." She spoke, and if I was hearing properly, her tone had a slight hint of sympathy in it.

That time, I gave a small, bitter laugh.

"More so than you'd think."

* * *

After what had felt like hours underneath the blazing Shuriman sun, I had begun to recede back into the recesses of my mind as conversation between Sivir and I had stopped long ago.  
My eyes wandered over the shifting sands, focusing on nothing until the Battle Mistress' voice snapped me out of it.

"We're here."

A couple hundred feet away from us was what looked like a collection of rubble that had been cobbled together to make a village.  
As we entered into its borders I again found myself regretting not taking my travel clothes, especially since with its filth I would have blended right in with the general populace.  
The entire mood of the place felt unwelcoming, and a sort of buried malice.

We were met with disgruntled stares, a few hisses here and there and sometimes a mischievous look that was quickly wiped away by one look of Sivir's weapon.  
Speaking of which, the Battle Mistress looked like she was right at home, and in all likelihood she was, neither did she recognize or care about the attention that we were attracting, as long as nobody bothered us because of it, she was fine.

"Is this what Azir was talking about?" I mumbled to my associate.

"I have no idea what he's talking about, this place is perfectly fine as it is." She shrugged.

"Ha-ha." I feigned as I straightened myself back on my camel.

I could see what Azir said about a sense of security, the moment I had entered the area I was met with nothing but hostility and the unshakable feeling that in the next few seconds I was about to get stabbed in the throat.

Azir was right, compare to this place the rebuilding capital of Shurima was almost Eden when it came to peace and security, he had kept his promise after all.  
I was just about to motion to Sivir for us to head back, we had been here for less than five minutes and already I had felt sick to my stomach.  
However, the thought was quickly expelled when a scream reverberated at the end of road we were travelling down.

A group of bandits were grouped around three people, one of them were kneeling in the sands, a pool of crimson was spattered in the dust.  
One of the bandits was wielding a sword, its blade covered in the blood of the recent wound.  
The bandit took the weapon in both hands as he pulled it back for a final blow.

"Sivir, you know how you mentioned about getting us into trouble?" I spoke, my mind racing a mile a minute.

"You are not thinking about-"

"Yes I am." I interrupted before charging forward, sword at the ready with only a few seconds left to save a life.


	12. Chapter 12: The Desert

-**The Crowd-**

The man kneeled in the newly blood spattered sand, clutching at the stab wound in his stomach that was seemed to spill more and more of the crimson liquid in seconds.  
His love was screaming, begging desperately for his executor to stop, to let him live, but they all knew that was no longer an option.  
This was a message, a message to anyone that even dared to think of going against the Silver Fangs.

_Betray us, and you'll soon find yourself as food for the buzzards._

No words were needed, for a small town that was based on lies and hiding what you knew from your fellow man, everyone was pretty terrible at it.

Once news got out that Fulani had plans of skipping town and heading out to the supposed safe haven not so far from here with Juniper, his wife, well... let's just say those whom he owed were due to collect.

"In either blood or gold" is a very common saying around here in Sai, because if you weren't ready to pay in one way then you'd better be damn well be prepared to pay in the other.

It wasn't unusual seeing others conducting "business" but for the Silver Fangs themselves to be publicly executing someone meant that the poor bastard had to have buried himself up to his neck in trouble.

Though many knew Fulani personally, _all _of us knew when to step back and let what's going to happen, happen undisturbed.  
The masked assailant raised the cutlass above his head, allowing Juniper's screams to ring throughout the town, allowing that to be the last thing for Fulani to hear in the terminal moments of his life.

He merely sat there, without any energy to speak, let alone move as the blade was brought down.

_Thwack._

**-The Healer-**

The screams died down, most of the Silver Fangs had backed from the scene slightly.  
Silence crashed down on my ears, leaving only the now deafening sound of my beating heart as I looked at the scene in front of me.

The leader was face down in sand, his sword was ten feet away from him while a sizable welt was already forming on the side of his head.  
I was terrified at the thought that maybe the instant the thugs saw me strike their leader in the side of the head that they would spring into action, however they seemed more shocked than outraged for the moment.

Stepping down from my mount I kneeled in front of the injured stranger, lifting his face to mine and checking his condition.  
His skin felt clammy, while his eyes were barely able to focus on me in a state of dizziness or confusion, his aura was sluggish while a shadowy mark was growing over his stomach.  
He was in the middle of shock.

In the corner of my vision I saw some of the bandits begin to close in around the two of us again, the woman being held aside started to yell in protest.  
This was soon stopped by the sound of another set of hooves against the sand, and the only time I was glad to have Sivir's tone spit daggers at me.

"You self-righteous, heroic imbecile. Do you not realize what you've just done?" She hissed.

"I see you're cranking out the big words, Sivir, but could you just shush for a second?" I snapped, trying to coax the man out of his shocked state.

I didn't need to look at the woman to know that if looks could kill, well, if she wasn't being paid for my safe arrival back to the capital then I'd probably be reduced to shards by now.  
I ignored her and instead allowed the presence of the Battle Mistress to send some of the bandits staggering back while I worked on the patient at hand.

Receiving no response, I instead reach down and removed the hand that was clasped around the wound.  
Blood seeped into the clothes that were around the stab wound and began to trickle down to his waist, my removal of the pressure didn't exactly help with this.  
I quickly slide my palm in the hole of his shirt and pressed it against the cut, feeling a rush of energy start to pour from my hand and to the stranger's body.

To my side I heard the woman who was screaming earlier begin to yell and curse at me, struggling against the two bandits that held her aside.  
With relative ease she broke free (whether it was from the situation itself or her screaming is debatable) and began to run towards the three of us.  
Reaching out a hand, I motioned for her to stop, refocusing my energy back to the injury before I felt either side his flesh knit itself back together.

From her skin tone and hair I guessed she was some form of Shuriman, causing me to speak out the ancient language.

_"It's fine, everything's alright, I mean neither you or him any harm." _I tried to explain, but she only looked at me with more confusion and panic.

"Do you understand me?" I said, switching back to Common.

She nodded.

"Okay, good. So now I'm going to need you to help me." The situation wasn't getting any better, most of the bandits seemed to have built up the courage to begin skulking forward.

"Help me lift him up, I've done what I could but he can still barely stand." I asked, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulder.

The woman immediately wrapped his other arm around her and began to help me lift her companion onto his feet.  
By now those who surrounded us were getting so close that Sivir now wielded her blade as several of the bandits began drawing out cutlasses from their sheathes, others had rifles strapped to their backs, little details I had missed when charging in.

Time was only a luxury now, I quickly began to pull the two over to where the Battle Mistress had stopped her camel while apologetically forcing the man on its back.  
The woman only stared at me as if I were insane as I motioned for her to join her companion.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, a mixture of exasperation and skepticism evident in her voice while she climbed on top of the creature and wrapping the man's arms around her waist for an anchor.

"Well, I would love to answer that-" I began before drawing my sword and flinging it at the two closest bandits.

Both of them immediately swerved out of its way, creating a small opening in the enclosing circle.

"But you have to go."

Striking the hind of the camel sent it reeling forwards through the opening as I only watched and backed away from the two now murderous looking men that sealed the circle again, the intent to kill evident in their eyes.

I eventually met back to back with the Battle Mistress as we both were out numbered around twelve to two.

"I'm guessing you weren't stupid enough to throw your sword away without some reason-" She muttered before some of those who surrounded us began to yell in a broken Shuriman language.  
However, from what I could understand from what they were saying it wasn't promising the happiest of times for Sivir and myself.

"Can you make an opening?" I asked.

"Easily, but by the looks of it they're not exactly going to sit back and watch the both of us leave if I do."

"Good, because with just a few seconds I can grab my mount-oh." I spoke in a harsh whisper, the plan I had came crashing down as in the middle of the confusion someone had helped themselves to my camel and disappeared without a trace.

Son of a bitch.

"Scratch that, we're splitting up. Head back to the way we came in, I'll have something there...hopefully."

"If we get out of this alive I take back what I said previously, you die for free." The Battle Mistress hissed.

"Oh thanks, you're really motivating me with that one." I retorted, the blade's pull on me strengthening by the second.

"You're wel-"

Before she had the time to finish I pulled myself towards my prison, the half a second of nonexistence allowing me to pass through the crowd.  
My disappearance caused just enough of a wind of opportunity for Sivir to throw her boomerang blade at the confused bandits, I didn't look back to see if they got out of the way.

Startled cries were quickly drowned out by enraged commands as I stepped back onto solid ground, pulling my prison from the sand and running through the streets of Sai.  
I glanced behind me, by some chance they had managed to spot me and now five were tailing behind, three had their swords drawn while the other two were slinging their rifles from their shoulders.

_No, they wouldn't, not with this many people walking the-_

My thoughts were quickly interrupted as a gunshot pierced through the air, a nearby clay pot that was less than a foot away erupted in a explosion of ceramic shards.

_Yes, yes they would.  
_  
Quickly ducking around the corner of an alleyway I soon find that I had made the wise choice of running myself into a dead end.  
The only exits I found were the entrance behind me and an old wooden door bolted shut and probably for good reason as I could hear my pursuers getting closer by the second.

Without a moment to lose I take my prison and wedge the blade between the door and its frame, forcing the two apart until I heard the satisfying crackle of splintering wood as the lock was popped out of place.

From behind I could hear the shouts of the bandits as they undoubtedly spotted me, that was soon followed by the _click _of their rifles.  
I charged into the dark abode, slamming the door shut as two more gunshots were let loose, tearing through the old door in a flurry of dust and shattered wood.

In the corner of my vision I could see a both equally terrified and enraged old man stare at me and the scene that was quickly going down hill for the both of us.  
I quickly snapped my attention away from him sending out a half-hearted "Sorry!" as I began to rush through room to room, leaving a trail of destruction while I desperately looked for an escape.

I eventually stopped in front of a window that was locked shut, without a second thought I bashed the wooden panels out of their frames (sorry) and stuck my head out from it, looking down at the crowd below.

It was at least a fifteen foot drop, easily survivable if I didn't act like a moron and land on my head, but considering what I've done to get myself into this situation I wouldn't have put it past myself.

I could hear in the rooms behind me the old man start yelling as the tell tale sounds of the front entrance being slammed open yet again.  
However, his curses and ramblings were soon cut short by the sound of a blade cutting through flesh and the muffled thud as his body hit the floor.  
My stomach climbed into my throat and in my head there was nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat while I threw myself from the window and into the stream of people below.

My plummet was luckily cushioned by the layers of sand that covered the streets, though not by much.  
On the way down I wasn't able to pull off the most majestic of landings, rewarding me with a skull splitting pain as my head made contact with the ground.  
With my vision shifting as much as the sands around me and an ache that began to feel like a knife twisting itself deeper into my stomach, I clumsily get back up onto my feet and try to blend into the surrounding people.

The flow of the crowd quickly forced me in one direction until I could separate myself from it and take cover underneath one of the many tents that set along the streets.  
As I pretended to look over some rather questionable time pieces and other random objects I rather used the time to steady myself, willing for the pain to subside.  
After a minute I risked a glance to the old man's house, as I feared they had already reached the window and I could see them scrutinizing the flood of bystanders that passed by.

Already one of the two who carried a rifle had managed to make their way onto the roof their firearm at the ready.  
This might have been a common sight for the people of Sai because even if the bandit was as clear as day, gun and all, none of them seemed to care or at least panic slightly.

_Of course not, that would just make it too easy for me wouldn't it? _I thought bitterly.

I weighed my chances of merely hiding along with the crowd, I was far enough away so that the possibility of slipping by unnoticed wasn't too ludicrous, yet when it came to meeting Sivir by the front entrance my half-baked scheme came crashing down in front of me.

Even if we did manage to get out of here undetected, we had a better likelihood of surviving the bandits than we did trekking across the desert on foot.  
Just when my dilemma seemed to grow only worse I saw it.

Sauntering right in front of me was a young teenager riding _my _camel, greedily picking through whatever was lined through the satchels.  
He was only a couple feet in front of me with only two people blocking the path between us.

I could easily intercept him, hell I could just push him off the side and hop on the creature's back in the span of a few seconds, but the commotion itself would undoubtedly snap my pursuers' attention and with the one of the roof, it made trekking through the desert seem friendlier every time I thought about it.

The longer I hesitated the farther away the kid got, leaving me with no choice, I needed to create a distraction.

I turned back to the table lined with trinkets and without a second thought I scooped as many as I could carry and tossed it out into the crowded streets.  
With the population of Sai being the wonderful people that they are, they immediately began to climb over one another for the dropped items, creating the window that I needed.

I wove through person to person, the pandemonium easily cloaking me as I made my way towards the side of my camel.  
The kid turned around to look at what was going on behind him, I took that moment to shove him off the side and into the sand.

As I hopped aboard my mount I could hear shouts that roared above the noise of the crowd.  
I turned around and saw that the two riflemen were quickly focusing their gunpoints on me, I quickly then grabbed the reigns of my camel and urged the creature forward.

At the sight of a stampeding camel, most of the bystanders moved towards the side, giving me enough room to urge the camel to go even faster, yet even that wasn't enough.

_Bang._

The gunshot erupted through the air, I could the feel energy from the speeding bullet whiz by my face.

_Bang._

The second shot was as loud as the first and immediately afterwards I could feel a searing pain bite into my left leg, nearly knocking me off my mount.  
I managed to keep myself steady, sacrificing one of my hands from the reigns to apply pressure to the wound as I fixedly focused on charging forward.

The entrance to this hellhole was now in sight, however Sivir was not.  
As I raced closer and closer towards my escape I scanned the area for the Battle Mistress until one figure running on top of the outer wall caught my attention.

The figure seemed to be sprinting towards the gap in the wall that was the exit, behind them were three others following closely in pursuit.  
I couldn't imagine anyone else being in the same situation and sure enough, when the scene became clearer I saw it was Sivir.

Her gaze quickly flicked over to me, in the next second a resounding shout reverberated through the air and the Battle Mistress' pursuers were quickly left in the dust.  
The moment I had reached the wall I slowed myself down just enough for Sivir to leap off the edge and land on top of the camel, a feat that I never do for...multiple reasons.

My mount growled in opposition from the sudden increase of weight but it charged forward out into the sands.  
The town behind us soon faded away in the distance but what didn't fade was the looming threat of the bandits gathering their wits and tracking us down through the desert.

The Battle Mistress seemed to have the same feeling as she tapped on my shoulder and pointed in a direction that was south east from the Capital.

"Go over in that direction but once we reach a steep dune do _not _go over it." She commanded.

"I think not, I'd rather go back to Capital and be done-" I began.

"If you think that His Ascendedness would really appreciate you leading a group of bandits over to his beloved city, go on ahead." Sivir interjected, her tone spitting as much venom as it did sarcasm.

Rolling my eyes, I followed through with her request and turned the camel south east looking out into the horizon for the supposed dune.

"What makes you even think that they'll be able to follow us? The sands aren't known for keeping footprints for long."

"They can. Do you want to know why you're more of a moron than I thought you were? It's because you single handedly rushed into the Silver Fangs', while they were publicly executing someone and smacked their leader across the head with your sword. That's not the kind of thing they just forget."

I shrugged, while admittedly it probably wasn't the smartest of choices I had to make it nonetheless.

"I fail to see how that should concern me, it's just another bounty from another group placed on my head. You of all people should know how that feels." I casually rebutted.

There it was again, the glare that could kill an entire population, burning a hole into the back of my head.

"What I am saying is that with their people and connections they could still find you, no matter how far you hide within these deserts, meaning even Azir can't conceal your sorry ass." She said.

Now I could feel an annoyance building up in my chest.

"You talk like Azir owns me, or that I am indebted to him, but in fact I am neither and I don't care how much he has spouted to you because you're a oh so special family member, it will always remain the same." I yelled, wishing I could turn to scream at her sour face.

After that, silence overtook the both of us as we continued to trot through the desert, the mountain of sand stretching across the horizon in front of us.

"I realize that in the way Azir speaks he can be... a little over bearing." The Battle Mistress spoke, her voice lost of any poison.

"I know this especially when he told me that I would be next in line for his thrown." She continued.

This caught me off guard somewhat, her the empress of a city made entirely off refugees and survivors?

"And I can definitely see how your 'I'll fight for your cause if it includes the right amount of coin' mentality will not have a backlash effect on the rebuilding capital-noooo it'll end up just _fine." _I jeered.

"Maybe if you had half of a brain you could guess that with every 'lesson' Azir tries to teach me, he also tries to quell that part of me, but no, you can't see beyond your nose and realize he's truly passionate about rebuilding his capital because he is a little presumptuous and a bit of an asshole."

I scoffed slightly.

"Are you sure he's not passionate about a delusional power fantasy? You weren't there when he ran the empire, you didn't see how blind of a man he was. He balanced an entire empire off of empty promises and a cheerful outlook on how our system worked when in reality, it was horrifying. And since when did you become so sympathetic to anything that wasn't money related?" I rambled, thousands of years of unreleased aggression and hatred spurred me to go further in my ramblings.

"It was because of that did everyone die! He promised to us that he would lead the world into a eternity of peace and balance and that it was through Ascension was it possible, look where it ended him! Ended them! All those lives, those people who could have lived and learned were... I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM BECAUSE OUT OF EVERYONE I'M LEFT IN THE DARK-ME, SEEMINGLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO STILL GIVES A DAMN ABOUT THE DEAD AND I'M LEFT IN THE SHADOWS." I stopped the mount, my knuckles were white from gripping onto the reigns, while I closed my fingers deeper around the wound to a point where I could hear crackling across the skin.

"You haven't had to listen to him speak over and over about the trust that is _required _for his kingdom, you're just plain ignorant." Sivir said flatly.

I snapped my head towards her, like an animal whose tail had just been stepped on.

"_I'm ignorant? _Have you seen him greet his people? Have you seen it even once? He acts like they don't exist while they _bow _to him. It's as if even though he never stops speaking about the 'trust between an emperor and his people' that's the last thing he's most likely to do! He doesn't even follow his own word!"

That final quip ended our conversation as Sivir and I only exchanged glares while I had still yet to make the camel go forward.  
It was after a few minutes of us silently threatening each other did the Battle Mistress decide to speak up again.

"Get off." She hissed, hopping off the back end of the camel.

"Excuse me?" I responded, arcing my brow as I neglected to break eye contact.

"I said 'get off.' You refuse to go forward to where we need to, so you're being useless. Get off the camel." Sivir then stepped to the side of the camel and firmly pushed me off the opposite end, where I had the very poor choice of landing on my injured leg.

I cried out in shock as the jolts of pain were sent flying through my leg and up into my lower body, causing me to collapse into the sand.  
The Battle Mistress looked over to me, her gaze was cold as she merely stared at me writhing around on the ground.

"What's wrong with you this time?" She groaned.

"F-for you... h-how many bandits had rifles?" I asked while trying to will the pain away.

"One. Why? How many did you have?"

I slowly rolled up my pant leg until I could see the bullet wound in the side of my leg.  
It looked like a whole that been punctured in a small, ceramic doll, a spider web of cracks had branched around the wound itself while a steady stream of soot poured from the hole.

"I had two, one of them missed and well the other...you could see was clearly the better shot."

"What do you need me to do?" She asked, her tone was still cold but she looked willing to help, mostly.

"Ok...ok, what I'm going to need is..." I gingerly pull my leg over to have a closer inspection, there was no exit wound, meaning that the bullet was still inside my leg.

Now being that thousands of years ago, there was no such thing as firearms and the closest thing we had to them were arrows, my knowledge of how to treat this was limited.

"Right..I need a roll of cloth and a knife of some sort... and I'm going to need you to-" I muttered, and as soon as I had said it Sivir pulled a dagger from the side of her belt, its blade wickedly gleaming in the desert sun.

"On second thought, I think it's probably best if you give me the knife."

She did so before going back to the camel and going through the satchels and bringing up a roll of gauze that Azir had someone pack before hand.  
Soon I had what I needed and a very unpleasant experience ahead of me, this might not have been the best way of dealing with this, might not have even been the smartest way but it was the only way given the circumstances.

I take a portion of the gauze and tightly wrap it around above the wound, the moment I had tied it together I could see that the flow of the ash had diminished somewhat.  
Next was the fun part. I took the knife and carefully pressed the blade against the side of the wound, slicing my skin and opening it slightly wider.  
The pain was excruciating, with each passing second the urge for my mind to shut down was growing stronger but somehow I managed to get through.

Sivir on the other hand, well, I had no idea what she was doing, she might as well have been wrestling with the camel for all I cared.

I dropped the knife into the sand as soon as the job was completed, I had managed to make the wound wider for my fingers to slip through and well...extract the bullet.  
The next few moments came to me as somewhat as a blur, but what I could remember was an immense amount of pain and that in the next second the little slug of metal was rolling around in the palm of my hand.

I tossed it aside before taking the rest of my gauze and wrapping it over the wound, enough so that sand couldn't slip through.

I immediately collapsed back into the sand once it was all finished, my entire body felt like it had been between the jaws of an Eka'Sul and spat back out.  
From my side I heard the crunching of sand as Sivir got up to her feet, her gaze locked onto the trail that we had left behind.  
In the distance I could see a cloud of dust being kicked up into the air, making it quite difficult to discern who they were.

"Rexas, get up, we need to get out of here." The Battle Mistress spoke, extending a hand for me to lift my broken self back up with.

"Can you tell it's them?" I asked while picking myself up.

"No, but whoever they are, they're coming straight for us and I was never much of a gambler to begin with, so _hurry. __up." _

It took me a moment to drag myself onto the creature's back and by that time Sivir was already on and pulling the reigns, her eyes locked onto the dust cloud.  
The second I had stabilized myself she raced the camel forward towards the mysterious sand dune.

"Where exactly are we going?" I inquired.

"Out of everywhere in Sai, there is one place we learn under absolutely no circumstances you should ever go. You're familiar with the Xer'Sai, right?" She explained.

"Yes? Azir mentioned they've infested a large portion of the desert over the past couple centuries, you're not actually thinking-"

"Don't worry, I've done this before, it works every time." Sivir tried to reassure me, but understandably I still had my doubts.

Running into a group of cut-throat bandits was one thing, but charging into Xer'Sai infested territories was an entirely different league of insane.  
We eventually had reached the peak of the sand dune, below was an eerily calm and flat stretch of the desert, on the opposite side was what looked like an old Shuriman temple, most of its architecture had rotted away with time and dust, the lone remainder of what it used to be was a smaller version of the sun disc located back at the capital.

Our pursuers had gotten even closer in the time it took us to climb the dune, the dark figures within the cloud became more visible with each passing moment.  
Sivir then steered the camel along the edge of the peak of dune towards the structure, what normally would have halved our time if we just passed down the dune and traveled back up.

By the time we had reached the temple we could see the fleet of bandits standing opposite across from us.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Svir and I stared at the bandits; a dark expression grew across the Battle Mistress' face.  
She didn't look afraid, nor did she look at all worried, she merely sat there like a tiger waiting for its prey to stumble and fall right into its clutches.

Though she never said it, this entire plan hinged on the fact of which path they chose to take, and if they made the right choice, well, it wasn't going to be the happiest of endings for the two of us.

Before I could even coax her to move on, to run away and not leave it all to random chance, the front runner of the group lifted a sword to the air then pointing it towards us and charging down the side of the dune.

They were faster than I anticipated, galloping forwards with the intent to kill glowing in their souls like an ember in the ashes of a fire pit.  
The group had reached the bottom, the multitude of stampeding hooves now kicking up the sand in their wake.

I was convinced that this was the end, whatever Sivir supposedly had up her sleeve wasn't happening and in less than a minute they were going to climb up the hill and a little bit after that we were going to be shot, quartered, or hung, or maybe a little bit of all three.

Those were my thoughts until an arc of purple electricity began to generate within the cloud of dust kicked up by the horses.  
Either the bandits didn't seem to notice or out right ignored it as they continued to press forward across the arid landscape.

That was until their forerunner had disappeared in a plume of sand.  
The group had began to scatter while trying to figure out where one of their members had gone, that was when something shot out from the dust and sailed into the air.

It was the remnants of a saddle.  
From on top of the dune I could see the group's mood shift in an instant, as their blood lust was soon replaced by a growing sense of fear and confusion.

The lightning sparked up yet again and now two more horses from their fleet were missing, almost as quickly as a flick of a switch the creatures were just gone.  
One rider had been lucky enough to just be left dazed in the sands while the other had disappeared.

Some of the members had started to yell about forgetting us and getting out of the forsaken place, most of them agreed as they began to quickly retreat back up the sand dune.

However three riders remained still, screaming at their comrades that they were cowards and could consider themselves dead.  
Those three then set their gaze back up to Sivir and I then galloped forward.

This time whatever resided in the sand didn't bother hiding itself anymore.

In an explosion of sand and rock the three riders were easily scattered, one was even knocked off their horse.  
A horrifying screech reverberated through the air and once the dust settled when I saw what created it I could feel ice run underneath my skin, much like the bandits below.

The Xer'sai was larger than any I had ever seen before, it would have easily towered above the temple that stood behind me if the creature were on top of the dune.  
Its "armor" ran ruggedly across the creature's skin while a current of the purple electricity arced from its back fin.

From where Sivir and I sat we could see that the Xer'sai had no eyes, and remained quite still almost as if it were waiting.  
Two of the three remaining members of the group scrambled away from the creature, condemning their fallen friend to a less than pleasant death, but as soon their hooves made contact with the sand the Xer'sai snapped it's attention over to them.

With another screech the monster dived forward, ripping one of the riders off their mount before digging into the sand again.  
In the next second the other bandit was met with the same fate as the sounds were so loud that I could clearly hear every bone snapping and every organ being torn to shreds.

The grizzly spectacle had calmed down some what, the last survivor of the attack stood paralyzed with terror, their horse gone with the rest of their friends.  
In a second that seemed to last an eternity, the bandit merely stood in place for fear of the monster that was undoubtedly waiting for their next move.

It was then I could see it, a blind panic beginning to churn and swell inside the person's aura, poisoning their judgement and leaving nothing but doubt and terror in their heart.

They immediately dashed in the direction that the rest of their comrades had fled to (who of which had decided to watch everything from the safety of the top of the dune.)

Sure enough, following from behind was the Xer'sai as their back fin was the only thing visible from outside the sands.  
It was soon catching up towards the unfortunate outlaw, and they knew that their futile attempt to escape was soon going to be stopped.

Then came the screaming, that godawful, unforgettable screaming that pierced through the air louder than any gunshot could.  
These were the final shrieks of someone who knew that they were going to be torn apart, piece by piece.

They began to plead in Shuriman towards his comrades that spectated the execution with either looks of guilt, terror or callousness.  
The bandit in their struggle tripped and fell over his own feet as the Xer'sai rushed in from behind, its back fin slowly sinking into the sand before disappearing from sight.

There was a moment of hesitation, where time seemed to pause just for a short moment as the anticipation of one final death was drawing its final breath.  
Then one of the legs of the bandit sunk beneath the dust, blood now seeping into it while the outlaw screamed and pleaded, his words indistinguishable as he was pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss.

It was when he was buried up to his head that he gave a final cry of pain that was enough to make my stomach twist in guilt, despite the old man's death, despite they had almost beheaded an innocent man in front of hundreds; it was a fate where death was a final luxury.

After that the desert grew quiet again, Sivir and I turned our attention towards the remaining bandits and vice versa.  
There was nothing to be spoken or done, the possibility of the Xer'sai patiently waiting for yet another meal was indeed very real.

It had silently began to settle on all of us that we had lead the Silver Fangs into a trap that condemned most of their group to an ending that was more gruesome than anything they themselves could conjure up.

Without any words or acknowledgments the remaining few of the fleet retreated backwards over the opposite end of the dune.

However, despite it being over and the dread of someone hunting me down for my head was alleviated, relief wasn't what washed over me.

I felt cold-hollow even, though never in a thousand years would I consider myself as righteous but standing by the wayside while watching that group of bandits be torn apart by one of the many horrors that infested the Shuriman desert, I felt a familiar stabbing pain in my heart.

They were pillagers, thieves and murderers, neither deserving nor wanting of anyone's sympathy and yet I still did, curiously enough.

Once Sivir and I had agreed that enough time had passed that we could traverse back to the capital safely, we began our journey with a setting sun and the unwillingness to talk about what we had seen.

* * *

-**Azir-**

As the retiring sun had begun to kiss the edge of the horizon I could feel unease start to weigh on top of my shoulders.  
Turning away from my family I looked to the horizon in the hopes that I would soon find the two of them riding back into the walls of my city, however this did not seem to be the case.

My gaze fell upon the images of those whom I loved, their faces were bright as they continued to do with their daily routines.  
Chryssa, my beloved wife, still heavy with our child that we had yet decided a name for.  
Her image sat with Kyriaki, wrapping one arm around our small daughter while with the other hand she held a book, the memory remained silent but Chyssa's image mouthed the words of one of Kyriaki's favorite tales that she and her mother would read together.

A bittersweet happiness began to flutter inside my chest, on the rare occasions when there was no work for me to done, bringing up the final days of my family had always managed to bring back a vague sense of what I used to feel, however there was one more reason why I would hold myself to seeing them everyday.

To remind me of what I was fighting for.

The small joy I felt was quenched by a rising anger as echoes of what the magus had lied about, about what he had done sent a fierce wave of rage and injustice back into my spirit.

However, from this rage I could only watch as the previous images of my family disappeared and were soon replaced by their final moments.  
They were out of place of where they had truly met their end, memories of servants overlapped and passed through them as they made their way towards the windows to watch their emperor fall, but Chryssa, Kyriaki, and Stavros stood right in front of me, their expressions changed to looks of terror to a scene that was invisible to me.

Before I knew it their images were obliterated by an unseen force and the sands settled to the floor again.

No matter how many times I made myself re-watch this over and over again, it never lessened the twisting pain of depression that gripped my heart.

"Whenever I had to perform house calls for you, Kyriaki would always ask me if she could borrow one of my medical tomes." A familiar voice spoke from behind.

I never bothered to turn myself around.

"You're late." I mumbled, ignoring the fact that Rexas had seen one of the few privates moments I commit myself to.

"She was always curious...but too shy to ask anyone about anything. I truly wish I gave her some of my books." From behind I could hear uneven footsteps until the healer stepped in front of me, his left leg walked with a limp, thought his robes made it unclear what was the cause of it, it was apparent it was injured.

He soon sat down against the wall opposite to me, the setting sun's light shining across his face.

"What happened to you, Rexas?" I asked, gesturing to his injured leg.

His eyes shifted from the horizon to me, he looked exhausted and jaded.

"It's interesting how much more painful pieces of metal are when they're being shot at you at nearly the speed of sound." He shifted to move his leg into a more comfortable position.

"You were shot, and you act like it's nothing?"

He shrugged.

"Most of them got it worse than I did in the end."

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, the healer's ambiguity not helping the situation.

"I saw what you meant by the Xer'sai growing in power." He answered, leaving the rest of what could be imagined up to me.

"I see...I trust that your journey had enlightened you somewhat."

To this he gave me slight scowl that was akin to what I usually received from Sivir.

"Yes it did indeed 'enlightened' me, that the desert has become even deadlier than what I remembered."

I leaned forward, locking my eyes onto Rexas'.

"Exactly. Do you now see why I wish to guide-" I began before the healer broke my train of concentration with a singe word.

"Yes. Yes I see why you wish to 'guide' people into a brighter future, but it's not because you actually care." He spat.

"You cannot be insinuating that I, the emperor of these people do not possibly care for them." I yelled.

"That is exactly what I am insinuating. I have seen a lot today, somethings I'd rather have not have seen, others...that now make everything so much clearer to me. By comparison, yes your beloved capital is by far the most peaceful and secure area in the Shuriman deserts, but does that mean you changed? No."

I was silent, there was not much that could baffle me so much as to leave me speechless, but it was this healer's stupidity that did it without fail.

"You cannot be serious."

"Oh but I am, your Highness. You know what the first thing that I noticed about you in your very own city? You act like the people who follow you don't even exist. You saunter straight through the city, your soldier making a barrier between you and 'your' people, and you don't even give mutual recognition when they _bow _to you. This bullshit you keep spouting to me, to Sivir to everyone on the Fields of Justice about how your kingdom is built upon trust is nothing more than that, bullshit." He droned.

I stood up now, my anger burrowing a hole deep into Rexas' eyes.

"You dare question my philosophy to my people!? When all I've done is _for _them?" I bellowed at the healer.

"I see your lie was so convincing that you've managed to even trick yourself into thinking it, Azir." He laughed.

"While I sit here and look at you, I see no change in the man who let a murderer sneak behind his back and slaughter everyone. Nothing about you has changed, _nothing. _You are arrogant, and power hungry, but I will give you this, you manage to be so convincing that even Sivir somewhat sympathizes with what you lie about, if that isn't just because you promised the throne to her. You are a man you happily forgets about the dead, you bring up their memories simply because you'd rather not do your own dirty work."

That was it, something finally inside of me snapped as I marched over to the imbecile and lifted him by the front of his robes, bring him eye to eye with me.

"You dare think I haven't remembered who were lost because of me!? You dare imagine that the only reason why I have done any of this was because it was one step in my supposed power fantasy!? YOU DARE MOCK EVERYONE'S MEMORY BY DECIDING TO TURN YOUR BACK TO THE CAPITAL!? YOU ARE A FOOL, REXAS. YOU ARE CONTENT IN SIMPLY POINTING YOUR FINGER AT ME AND DECLARING THAT I AM AN UNFEELING DICTATOR WHO BELITTLES THE WORTH OF HIS SUBJECTS LIVES TO LESS THAN THE SANDS AROUND US. BUT HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT YOU. ARE. WRONG?" I tossed the healer to the wall and taking a few steps to pace myself from him.

"THIS WORLD IS A DESERT, IT CARES FOR NO ONE, IT FEELS FOR NOTHING AND THE ONLY REASON WHY I WISH TO LEAD IS SO THAT HISTORY DOES NOT REPEAT ITSELF." I continued to yell.

For a moment Rexas looked stunned at my outburst, but he soon lifted himself from the wall and limped towards me.

"Then how can I trust you!? This is exactly what you spouted when Shurima still stood! How do I know that you can ever hold yourself to your own promises when you couldn't even fulfill the commitment you made to end the cancer that tore it all down in the first place!?"

"What do you speak of?" I growled towards him.

"What do you think? The person who tore the entire kingdom down was _your _slave, Azir! You trusted Xerath the most out of anyone when in actuality he despised you!"

For a moment I was confused, how did he not know that the day I had abolished slavery was the same exact day that the empire fell, but then it hit me.

"How could you have known?" I mumbled, my anger towards the healer still burned inside me, but the realization that most of his anger and confusion was because that I had trapped him away before that day even came.

"What?" He asked.

"The day that it had all fallen apart, the day where Xerath tore my kingdom into dust, was the day I declared him and every other slave in the Shuriman empire as free people. But you wouldn't know that would you?"

Understandably, the healer was speechless to this but I could see in his eyes a mixture of sadness and anger bleed back into his heart.

"No, I wouldn't because out of the surprising number of people who survived the fall, I'm the one they all choose to leave in the dark...Why did he do it?" Rexas, asked, his tone sounded defeated.

I allowed the question to hang in the air as even I did not know the answer to it.  
I myself began to feel weary as the day's events began to stack on top of me, and rather awkwardly our argument had ended.

"You look at me as if I don't remember those whom I've wronged, that I am happily ignorant to the souls that burden the two of us, but you're wrong, Rexas. I do not fight forward and wish to guide these people forward because of some agenda, I fight forward in the _name _of those I've failed. Chryssa, Kyriaki, Stavros..." With a gesture I waved their frozen images back into existence.

I picked the golden helmet at my side and tossed it towards the healer, who carefully caught and secured it to his chest.

"And even Aphra, I fight in their memory so that I will _never _forget the mistakes that I have made...I stated before that there is indeed a question I have for you, and I believe you know what it is."

He looked up to me, I could see him trying to calm his mind from the flurry of questions that were berating him.

"I can't trust you." He stated quietly.

"Then what would she say?" I asked, gesturing towards the helmet within his arms.

This must have struck a chord within him as his features grew into a scowl, any sympathy that I might have built was now dwindling.

"She was three times the person we both are! So don't you dare even say her name, let alone try to use her memory into guilting me!" He snarled, clutching the helmet closer to his chest.

There was a deafening silence that fell between us, the two of us saying and doing nothing but look at each other, guessing what the other's act would be.  
I had finally decided to break it.

"I'm sorry." I said.

Rexas looked at me, an expression of bewilderment was evident across his face.

"What did you say?" He asked.

"I said 'I'm sorry' It was insensitive of me to bring her up, especially in the context that I did. I am truly indeed, sorry. The reason why I even ask you to join me in rebuilding this empire is because of the fact that you were there and saw what was going to kill it, and that you don't hide your guilt for it particularly well." I explained.

"But even if you joined, I can't give you back the things you had, but you don't have to try and redeem yourself on your own, most importantly you should know that you're not alone in your guilt."

The healer stared at me, his face indistinguishable as he left himself to his thoughts.  
Eventually Rexas spoke out into the quiet room.

"I am not agreeing because of what you promise or the fact that I have any faith in you, but for the reason of protecting those who follow you and in the memory of those that I have failed. Azir, I agree to join you on one condition."

"Name it." I answered, the sudden change in the healer's heart piquing my interest.

"You tell me everything."

**Author's Note: Hello! I am indeed not dead...hopefully, that aside I just wanted apologize for not updating in a little bit, it was a mixture of laziness and school starting on the third that caused to me be a little slow. But I just wanted to say thank you for those who chose to stick with me and for those who have recently joined, hello! All joking aside, I just really want to tank those who give their feedback, it is truly helpful beyond belief for me to see people giving their time to create a response to these chapters, so again, thank you. As always stay amazing and have a wonderful day.**

**The Terracrafter. **


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